More Prenatal Care Linked to Lower Cardiac Center Deliveries for Mild Congenital Heart Defects
A new study reveals that increased prenatal care is associated with a lower likelihood of delivery at specialized cardiac centers for babies diagnosed with mild congenital heart defects (CHDs), while the opposite is true for severe cases. The findings, published November 9 in JAMA Network Open, coincide with the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2025, held from November 7 to 10 in New Orleans.
Researchers at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago examined the relationship between the quality of prenatal care and where babies with CHDs were born. The study analyzed data from 12,113 newborns with CHDs in Illinois between 2013 and 2021. Of those, 3,076 (25.4%) were delivered at a cardiac center, and 1,579 (13.0%) had severe CHDs.
The data showed varying levels of prenatal care: 2.3% received no prenatal care, 13.4% had inadequate care, 10.8% had intermediate care, 34.8% had adequate care, and 38.8% had “adequate-plus” care. Researchers found a clear correlation between prenatal care initiation and delivery location, particularly when differentiating between mild and severe CHDs.
Specifically, the study indicated a 10.5 and 30.2 percentage point higher probability of delivery at a cardiac center for fetuses with mild and severe CHDs, respectively, who initiated prenatal care. However, for babies with mild CHDs, those whose mothers received “adequate-plus” prenatal care had a 6.7 percentage point lower probability of delivery at a cardiac center compared to those with intermediate care. Prenatal visit frequency did not impact delivery location for infants with severe CHDs.
“Prenatal care ensures that babies with congenital heart defects are born at the right location with the appropriate intensity of care based on their clinical needs,” stated a senior author of the study. This suggests that comprehensive prenatal care may allow for better risk stratification and informed decisions about delivery location, potentially reducing the need for specialized cardiac center deliveries in less severe cases.
The research highlights the importance of tailored prenatal care strategies for CHDs. Further investigation is needed to understand the factors driving these differences and to optimize care pathways for expectant mothers carrying babies with these conditions.
More information: Christina Laternser et al, Prenatal Care and Perinatal Regionalization for Congenital Heart Defects, JAMA Network Open (2025). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.42135.
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