CARPREG II fine-tunes assessment of cardiac complication risk in pregnancy

Looking at patient data before or after 2001, investigators found the rates of most complications were consistent over time. However, rates of pulmonary edema decreased in the post-2001 period.

Multivariate analysis of these findings revealed 10 predictors of adverse cardiac events. Those included five general factors, including previous cardiac events or arrhythmia, four lesion-specific variables including pulmonary hypertension and coronary artery disease, and one process of care variable: late pregnancy assessment.

Only 4 of those 10 factors were included in the original CARPREG index, investigators noted.

In CARPREG II, each of the 10 factors is weighted with 1-3 points, depending on risk. For example, history of prior cardiac events was associated with a higher odds ratio, and so was assigned 3 points.