The Long QT Syndrome in Pregnancy

Long QT Syndrome (LQTS) is a disease of young adults and can affect women of child bearing age. Suffers of LQTS are at risk of ventricular dysrhythmias including torsades de pointes and ventricular fibrillation.

Pregnancy increases the chance that any mother may have an abnormal heart rhythm or arrhythmia. This chance is higher with the LQTS. There are only a few reported cases of women with the LQTS having a baby in the medical literature. This can make it difficult for the doctor caring for a pregnant woman with the long QT syndrome - especially should they need an anesthetic.

We would like to study as many women who have had a baby who have the long QT syndrome to give us a better idea of whether there are any arrhythmias occurring at the time of delivery.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Long QT Syndrome

Detailed Description

This will be a retrospective analysis of all LQTS women managed at St. Paul's or BC Women's who have been pregnant in the last 5 years. These two hospitals both have a provincial role in the care of pregnant women, BC Women's as the designated provincial tertiary maternity care referral centre, and St. Paul's through its provincial PATCH clinic. Using the data from these two centres should capture the majority of LQTS cases in parturients in the province. We will search for these women from the Department of Anesthesia BC Women's consult database, the St. Paul's Cardiac Obstetrical Care database, and BC Women's Health Records using International Classification of Diseases - 10 coding for long QT. Then, after obtaining patient consent, review the charts collecting data using the data entry form. The cases will then be compared and any conclusions into the different anesthetic managements made.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 12

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Canada
  • British Columbia
    • Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
      • BC Women's Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: Female

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

Women managed at St. Paul's or BC Women's, Vancouver, who have been pregnant in the last 5 years

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Pregnant women with diagnoses of Long QT Syndrome, Romano Ward and Jervell - Lange Nielson Syndrome who delivered at BC Women's Hospital or St Paul's Hospital.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Non consent to participation in the study
• Age less than 19
• Non English speaker

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Observational Models: Cohort
• Time Perspectives: Retrospective

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of British Columbia
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Roanne Preston, MD, University of British Columbia; Study Director: Elizabeth Drake, MD, University of British Columbia; Study Director: Joanne Douglas, MD, University of British Columbia; Study Director: Marla Kiess, MD, University of British Columbia; Study Director: Stanley Tung, MD, University of British Columbia

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: June 1, 2007
• Study Completion (Actual): April 1, 2008

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 18, 2007
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 19, 2007
• First Posted (Estimate): June 20, 2007

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): April 14, 2011
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 12, 2011
• Last Verified: April 1, 2011

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Long QT Syndrome; Romano Ward; Jervell-Lange Nielson Syndrome
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathologic Processes; Heart Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases; Disease; Congenital Abnormalities; Arrhythmias, Cardiac; Cardiac Conduction System Disease; Heart Defects, Congenital; Cardiovascular Abnormalities; Syndrome; Long QT Syndrome
• Other Study ID Numbers: H06-03385