Impact of pregnancy and risk factors for ventricular arrhythmias in women with tetralogy of Fallot

Objective: Patients with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) have high survival rates 30 years after surgical repair. Many patients experience pregnancy; however, the effects of pregnancy on the long-term cardiovascular outcome are not well known. We investigated the association of pregnancy and cardiac function with occurrence of ventricular arrhythmia (VA) in women with TOF. Methods: We recruited 80 women with repaired TOF from the national database. Holter monitoring or implanted devices detected VA, defined as non-sustained or sustained ventricular tachycardia or aborted cardiac arrest. All patients underwent echocardiography. Blood tests included NT-proBNP (N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide). Results: 55 (69%) women had experienced pregnancy. Mean age was lower in nulliparous compared with those with children (30±9 vs 40±9, p321 ng/L (normal values