Prevalencia de valvulopatías en pacientes embarazadas atendidas en el departamento de ecocardiografía en consulta externa en el Hospital Universitario de Guayaquil en el periodo de enero 2023 – enero 2024.

Abstract

Valvulopathies are defined as the set of heart valve diseases that can affect one or more of the valves. Stenosis is considered to be the difficulty that exists in the opening of the valve, while insufficiency is defined as a defect in the closure or coaptation of the leaflets of the heart valve. The present study is descriptive, retrospective, cross-sectional and observational in pregnant patients with valvular disease at the University Hospital of Guayaquil in the period from January 2023 to January 2024. The results showed that the prevalence of valvular disease in pregnant patients treated in the echocardiography department in the outpatient clinic at the University Hospital of Guayaquil in the period from January 2023 to January 2024 is 34.7%. On the other hand, the most common valvular disease in pregnant women is mitral insufficiency with 30.34%. Currently, the evaluation of pregnant women with underlying heart disease is a topic that is rarely addressed in our country, taking into account that heart disease is considered the main cause of death in pregnant women indirectly. Having said that, it is of utmost importance that the management of women with valvular disease be carried out before conception, to determine the hemodynamic changes of pregnancy and the risk of complications that may occur during pregnancy and thus be able to inform the patient of treatment alternatives, whether with medical or surgical management as necessary.