DefinePK

Abstract

The heart is a key organ in the fetal development since it is responsible forperfusion and proper development of all fetal organs. From the very early stagesof pregnancy, heart must maintain adequate cardiac output in a continuedmanner and be able to adapt to changing circulatory demands. Certainpathologies in fetal life can affect the proper functioning of the cardiovascularsystem and can even cause heart failure, hydrops and fetal death. Fetalechocardiography is one such tool, which can assess the status of the heart,both structural and functional.In Pakistan, fetal echocardiography has been inservice for over a decade, primarily to identify fetuses with structuralmalformations of the heart and is now a part of routine fetal surveillance.However, evaluation of fetal cardiac function using echocardiography hasreceived minimal attention and its utilization in functional assessment of the fetalheart and circulation is still awaited.Recently, research efforts have recognized the potential value of fetal cardiacfunction for clinical management. Given the substantial evidence indicating theoccurrence of programming of adult cardiovascular disease in fetal life, it islogical to state that the integration of functional fetal echocardiography intoclinical practice in developing country like Pakistan will be useful to detect andmonitor not only fetuses at-risk of cardiac failure or cardiac dysfunction but alsoto help predict perinatal and long term cardiovascular outcomes.