Direct Current Cardioversion in Pregnancy: A Multicenter Study

Abstract

(BJOG. 2023;130(10):1269–1274) The physiological changes that occur in pregnancy have been associated with new onset and recurrent cardiac arrhythmias. It is common for pregnant patients to experience palpitations in pregnancy, and most of these do not require treatment. However, some arrhythmias require treatment including medications and/or direct current cardioversion (DCCV) to restore the patient’s rhythm. In a recent inquiry into maternal deaths in the United Kingdom (UK), DCCV was not applied consistently and may have resulted in maternal deaths. This study aimed to understand practice surrounding DCCV in the UK, assessing which arrhythmias occurred and how they were treated. In addition, they evaluated outcomes associated with obstetric and neonatal health, including the use of fetal monitoring and whether there were cases where DCCV caused harm to the fetus.