Alterations in Heart Rate and Atria to Ventricular Conductivity in Third Trimester Pregnancy: A Comparative Study

Abstract

The cardiovascular system undergoes physiological changes during pregnancy. These physiological changes in the heart can be understood by simple procedures like electrocardiography. With the objective of formulating basis of alterations in heart rate and impulse conductivity from atria to ventricles during pregnancy, the study was carried out in Manipal Teaching Hospital, Pokhara, Nepal between calendar year 2012 and 2013 by comparing electrocardiograms between pregnant and non-pregnant participants. The total number of participants in this study was 120: 50% was third trimester pregnant women as cases and the other 50% was non-pregnant women as controls. The statistically significant increase in heart rate and highly significant decrease in PR interval in electrocardiograms of cases conclude that the alterations in cardiac function do occur in pregnancies which all try to meet the growing demands of developing fetus. Thus, these changes neither should be misinterpreted as of pathological origin nor the latter one if present should be misdiagnosed by any health care providers.