A recent study has highlighted the significant impact of adequate prenatal care on delivery outcomes for infants with congenital heart disease (CHD). Published on November 9, 2025, in JAMA Network Open, the research coincides with the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2025 taking place in New Orleans from November 7 to 10. The findings indicate that increased prenatal visits correlate with lower probabilities of delivery at specialized cardiac centers for cases of mild CHD.
The research team, led by Christina Laternser, Ph.D., from the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, analyzed data from neonates born with CHD in Illinois between 2013 and 2021. The study examined 12,113 neonates diagnosed with CHD, revealing that 3,076 (25.4%) were born at a cardiac center, while 1,579 (13.0%) had severe forms of the condition.
Across the cohort, only 2.3% of infants received no prenatal care, whereas 13.4% experienced inadequate prenatal care. The majority of participants fell into categories of intermediate (10.8%), adequate (34.8%), and adequate-plus (38.8%) prenatal care.
The study revealed a marked association between the initiation of prenatal care and the location of delivery. Infants with mild CHD demonstrated a 10.5 percentage point increased likelihood of being born at a cardiac center when adequate prenatal care was initiated. For those with severe CHD, the probability increased by 30.2 percentage points. Notably, for infants with mild CHD, adequate-plus prenatal care was linked to a 6.7 percentage point decrease in the probability of delivery at such specialized centers compared to those receiving intermediate care.
Interestingly, the frequency of prenatal visits did not show a significant association with delivery location for infants diagnosed with severe CHD.
Joyce Woo, M.D., senior author of the study and also affiliated with Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital, emphasized the importance of prenatal care in ensuring that infants with congenital heart defects are born in appropriate settings. “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,” she stated.
The findings underscore the crucial role of adequate prenatal care in the perinatal management of congenital heart defects, potentially guiding future healthcare practices and policies.
For further details, refer to the original study by Christina Laternser et al, titled “Prenatal Care and Perinatal Regionalization for Congenital Heart Defects,” published in JAMA Network Open (2025). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.42135.
