Prenatal Care and Perinatal Regionalization for Congenital Heart Defects

What is the association between prenatal care initiation, prenatal visit frequency, and delivery location for neonates with congenital heart defects (CHDs)?In this cross-sectional study of 12 113 neonates born with CHDs in Illinois, delayed prenatal care initiation was associated with increased probability of delivery at a cardiac center compared with no prenatal care. Furthermore, for those with mild CHDs, more prenatal visits were associated with a 6.7 percentage point decrease in probability of delivery at a cardiac center.These findings suggest that prenatal care initiation and visit frequency may both influence risk-appropriate care among neonates with CHDs.

Corresponding Author: Joyce Woo, MD, MS, Division of Cardiology, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, 225 E Chicago Ave, Box 21, Chicago, IL 60611 (jwoo@luriechildrens.org).

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