Autoimmune-Related Fetal Heart Block, Fetal Congenital Heart Disease, Perinatal Adverse Events, Pregnancy-Associated Heart Disease
Conditions
Brief summary
This is a prospective observational cohort study conducted at Beijing Anzhen Hospital. The study aims to establish reference ranges of heart sound and electrocardiogram (ECG) parameters for both mothers and fetuses. It seeks to develop early warning models for maternal adverse cardiac events, fetal congenital heart disease progression, and autoimmune-related fetal heart block, thereby building a comprehensive maternal-fetal integrated risk stratification system.
Detailed description
Perinatal cardiovascular health poses significant threats to maternal and fetal safety. Pregnancy-associated heart disease remains the leading cause of non-obstetric maternal mortality in China. While conventional assessments rely on static and intermittent monitoring, dynamic changes in cardiac function during pregnancy often go undetected, leading to missed opportunities for early intervention. Fetal congenital heart disease (CHD) and autoimmune-related fetal complete heart block (CHB) are major causes of adverse perinatal outcomes. Current diagnostic methods, primarily relying on fetal echocardiography, struggle to detect early electrophysiological abnormalities, resulting in delayed warning times. This study integrates non-invasive wearable technology to dynamically collect maternal-fetal heart sound and ECG signals. It aims to establish normal reference standards, screen sensitive early warning indicators, construct predictive models for perinatal adverse events, and finally develop a clinical risk stratification workflow. Signal acquisition was initiated at the following gestational ages: fECG from approximately 12 weeks of gestation, fPCG from approximately 16 weeks of gestation, and maternal signals (mECG and mPCG) from the time of enrollment. All signals were acquired serially until delivery.
Interventions
None listed
Sponsors
Study design
Eligibility
Inclusion criteria
1. Pregnant women aged 18 to 45 years with singleton pregnancy; 2. For maternal groups: diagnosed with heart disease (congenital, valvular, or cardiomyopathy) or healthy without cardiac disease; 3. For fetal groups: diagnosed with congenital heart disease, anti-Ro/SSA antibody positive status, or normal cardiac structure; 4. Able to cooperate with non-invasive monitoring and follow-up procedures; 5. Voluntary written informed consent provided prior to enrollment.
Exclusion criteria
1. Multiple pregnancy; 2. Severe skin disease or thoracic deformity preventing placement of monitoring sensors; 3. History of malignancy, severe hepatic or renal dysfunction; 4. Inability to complete follow-up visits or monitoring; 5. Contraindications to non-invasive monitoring procedures.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Maternal Major Adverse Cardiac Events (MACE) | From study enrollment to 6 weeks postpartum | Composite endpoint including cardiac death, cardiac arrest, heart failure requiring hospitalization, sustained ventricular arrhythmia, stroke, myocardial infarction, and aortic dissection occurring during the study period. |
| Fetal Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) Progression | From first signal acquisition (fECG at 12 weeks, fPCG at 16 weeks) until delivery or withdrawal, with serial fetal echocardiography throughout; assessed up to 28 weeks. | Composite endpoint including fetal hemodynamic deterioration, right ventricular dysfunction, hydrops fetalis, or delivery before 37 weeks due to worsening CHD, as assessed by serial fetal echocardiography. |
| Autoimmune-Related Fetal Complete Heart Block (CHB) | From 16 weeks of gestation to delivery | Development of second-degree or third-degree atrioventricular block in fetuses of anti-SSA/SSB antibody-positive mothers, detected by serial fetal ECG monitoring. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency Cesarean Section Due to Cardiac Indications | From study enrollment until the date of delivery or study withdrawal, whichever came first, assessed up to approximately 34 weeks. | Unplanned cesarean delivery performed due to maternal cardiac decompensation, refractory arrhythmia, or fetal distress related to cardiac disease. |
| Preterm Birth | At delivery | Delivery occurring before 37 weeks of gestation, including spontaneous preterm labor and medically indicated preterm delivery. |
| Low Birth Weight | At delivery | Birth weight less than 2500 grams, as measured at delivery. |
| Multimodal cardiac signal acquisition feasibility and fetal cardiac acoustic feature characterization | From study enrollment until delivery or study withdrawal, whichever came first, assessed up to approximately 28 weeks | Including: (1) four-channel simultaneous signal acquisition success rate; (2) signal quality metrics for mECG, fECG, mPCG, and fPCG; (3) quantitative differences in fPCG acoustic features between CHD-affected and normal fetuses, as assessed by algorithm analysis. |
Countries
China