Cardiac disease

When you have completed this course, you will be able to:

• describe the epidemiology of heart disease in pregnancy
• understand the physiological cardiovascular changes that occur in pregnancy
• understand the pathophysiology of heart disease in pregnancy
• describe the clinical characteristics of various congenital and acquired heart diseases in pregnancy
• outline the management principles used for women with various types of heart disease in pregnancy.

Dr Nidhi Gulati MRCOG (2023)

Dr Gulati is a subspecialty trainee in maternal and fetal medicine at Birmingham Women’s Hospital, UK. She graduated from the University of Nottingham in 2012 and began her obstetrics and gynaecology training in the West Midlands in 2014. She has a postgraduate MSc by Research degree from the University in Birmingham for her work on the characteristics of T cells at the maternal-fetal interface in pre-eclampsia.

Dr Omar Asghar MRCP (2021)

Dr Asghar is a post-CCT Fellow in obstetric cardiology and inherited cardiac conditions at Manchester Heart Centre and St Mary’s hospital, Manchester, UK. He completed his cardiology training in 2020 and sub-specialised in CMR, ICC and devices. In addition to clinical cardiology, he has a keen interest in academic medicine and completed a PhD and MSc in genomic medicine from the University of Manchester.

Dr Sarah Vause FRCOG(2007, 2010, 2013, 2017, 2020)

Dr Vause works at St Mary's Hospital in Manchester as a Consultant in Fetal Maternal Medicine. She holds a weekly joint obstetric/cardiac clinic with consultant obstetrician Dr Anna Roberts and consultant cardiologists, Professor Bernard Clarke and Professor Bernard Keavney. Dr Vause was a member of the RCOG eLearning Editorial Board from 2009 to 2012 and is currently a MBRRACE assessor.

This course is intended to help clinicians gain core knowledge for O&G training and the MRCOG examinations. It can also be used by O&G consultants to refresh their knowledge of the area or for teaching.

The content of this course relates to the following Capabilities in Practice (CiPs) and key skills:

CiP 1: Clinical skills and patient care
All key skills covered

CiP 2: Working in health organisations
Understands ethical principles

Cip 5: Quality Improvement
Team working

CiP 6: Developing self & others
Commits to continued learning 

CiP 9 Emergency gynaecology and early pregnancy
Manages other early pregnancy complications

Cip 10 Manages pain and bleeding in pregnancy
Manages induction, augmentation of labour
Manages labour
Manages emergency birth, postpartum problems
Manages maternal collapse
Manages pain and bleeding in pregnancy
Manages concerns about fetal wellbeing
Manages induction, augmentation of labour

CiP 12: Non-emergency obstetrics
Manages pre-existing medical conditions in the pregnant woman
Manages conditions arising in pregnancy
Manages fetal concerns
Supports antenatal decision making
Manages a postnatal consultation

Further details about each CiP can be found within the O&G Core Curriculum 2024 Definitive Document, available here. 

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Intrapartum Care for Women with Existing Medical Conditions or Obstetric Complications and their Babies. NG121. NICE, 2019.

Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Pregnancy. Information for Healthcare Professionals. London: RCOG; 2022.