Outcomes of Cardioversion During Pregnancy: A Retrospective Analysis of the National Inpatient Sample

Background: Rising incidence of cardiac arrhythmias among pregnant women is an increasing concern in the United States. Although pregnancy rates continue to decline in the United States, maternal morbidity and mortality remain on the rise. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the use of electric car-dioversion for pregnant women and the potential maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Methods: Patient data were obtained from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) from 1993 to 2019. The data included patients that had an ICD-9 diagnosis with either a normal or high risk pregnancy. Patients were separated by whether they had a procedure to restore cardiac rhythm. Results and conclusion: Our retrospective study showed that pregnant patients who underwent cardioversion did experience a higher rate of mortality (odds ratio = 6.40; 95% confidence interval: 1.95 - 20.96; P = 0.002), with no difference in perinatal outcomes. There was no difference in perinatal outcomes.