Cardiac clinic

Our cardiac antenatal clinic at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital is the largest in the south east of England and runs on a weekly basis in collaboration with the Royal Brompton Hospital.

At each clinic there is representation from obstetricians in maternal medicine from Chelsea and Westminster, grown up congenital heart (GUCH) cardiologists from the Royal Brompton, clinical specialist nurses and adult cardiologists. Once a month obstetric anaesthetists attend when delivery planning takes place to provide a high level of expertise in the clinic. We support about 80 women a year through their pregnancies. The majority deliver at Chelsea and Westminster but some very high risk women deliver at the Royal Brompton Hospital where there is access to a cardiac intensive care unit. All inpatients at both sites are fully supported by all teams.

Once a month there is a joint pre-pregnancy counselling clinic, attended by obstetricians and GUCH cardiologists, which provides detailed and personalised information to women with cardiac disease who are considering pregnancy. Another pre-pregnancy counselling clinic is held by our cardiologists every month.

We offer a separate cardiac antenatal clinic run by a consultant in maternal medicine every two weeks. This clinic supports less complex cardiac conditions and establishes if women need to be seen in the high risk service.

We also offer gynaecology services to very high risk cardiac women who are unable to be looked after in their local hospital. This includes termination of pregnancy, management of miscarriage, contraceptive services and management of other gynaecological problems.