Congenital Heart Block

PHILADELPHIA – In anti-Ro/La-positive pregnancies, most fetal echocardiography screenings for congenital heart block fail to occur by the recommended time, according to data presented at ACR Convergence 2022.

Heart rate monitoring may be a crucial means of detecting rhythm abnormalities in the fetuses of pregnant individuals who are positive for anti-Ro/SSA antibodies, according to data presented at ACR Convergence 2021.

Efficacy of hydroxychloroquine to reduce recurrence rate of congenital heart block.

In a cohort of pregnant women with prior maternal congenital heart block, hydroxychloroquine successfully reduced the risk for recurrent fetal blocks by more than 50%, according results from the PATCH trial.

ATLANTA — Among mothers with anti-Ro antibodies who had previously delivered a baby with congenital heart block, hydroxychloroquine was associated with a 50% in risk of that complication in subsequent pregnancies, according to a speaker at ACR/ARP 2019.