First women’s heart center in South Texas tackles leading cause of maternal deaths
For many years, Dr. Ildiko Agoston has championed specialized cardiology treatment for women during and after pregnancy. The mission is urgent: the United States has the highest rate of maternal deaths among developed countries, and heart-related problems are the leading cause. According to the American College of Cardiology, maternal deaths related to heart problems more than doubled between 1999 and 2022.
Dr. Agoston is now bringing her cardio obstetrics credentials and passion to University Health’s recently opened Women’s Heart Center. She is the founding medical director for this first-of-a-kind center in South Texas, dedicated to diagnosing and treating heart disease for women of all ages. The center places a special focus on mothers-to-be whose pregnancies may be complicated by heart conditions.
“Pregnancy is nature’s stress test,” she said, explaining it causes a woman’s blood pressure to fluctuate and her heart to work harder to support the growth of the baby. “You’re caring for two patients, the mother and the baby.”
Cardiac care for pregnant heart patients
Malea Potter, 33, was born with a defective heart valve and underwent an aortic valve procedure as a child. Later, when she and her husband wanted to have children, doctors were concerned that the physical stress on her heart could jeopardize her health and survival. They referred her to Dr. Agoston who assembled a team of specialists that monitored Malea’s pregnancy every step of the way. When she delivered her son in 2018, the specialists were there, ready to respond to any complication. A heart-lung machine was made ready in case it was needed. Malea now has two healthy children thanks to the unique care she received before and during her pregnancy from a team trained to treat pregnant women with heart problems.
Specialty teams
The multispecialty teams at the Women’s Heart Center dedicated to caring for maternity patients with heart problems include obstetricians, gynecologists, maternal-fetal medicine specialists, anesthesiologists, cardiovascular surgeons and pulmonologists – experts able to address complications that can emerge during and following the pregnancy. The center’s program simplifies medical visits by allowing women to see multiple specialists in one location.
Some women like Malea are born with congenital heart problems and may know they have abnormalities that need to be watched during pregnancy. Others don’t realize they are at risk until they are diagnosed with high blood pressure or other conditions that can lead to stroke, preeclampsia or gestational diabetes.
Individualized pregnancy plans reduce risks
The Women’s Heart Center team creates an individualized pregnancy and delivery plan for each patient which may include screenings to monitor developments, repairing heart defects, scheduling an early delivery to reduce the strain on the mother’s heart or – in some cases – advising a woman not to become pregnant because it would be dangerous for her health.
Dr. Agoston says women ideally should be screened and aware of their heart health prior to getting pregnant. A woman’s primary care doctor or OB-GYN can refer her for cardiovascular care if they detect problems, giving the mother-to-be the best chance for a safe pregnancy and a healthy baby.
