A recent study has revealed significant insights into the impact of prenatal care on the delivery outcomes for neonates with congenital heart defects (CHDs). The research, published online on November 9, 2025, in JAMA Network Open, coincided with the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2025 held in New Orleans from November 7 to 10.
The study, led by Christina Laternser, Ph.D., from the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, examined the relationship between the adequacy of prenatal care and the likelihood of delivering at a specialized pediatric cardiac center. The analysis focused on 12,113 neonates born with CHDs in Illinois from 2013 to 2021. Out of these, 3,076 neonates, representing 25.4%, were born at a cardiac center, while 1,579, or 13.0%, had severe CHD.
The findings highlighted that a small percentage of these infants had no prenatal care (2.3%) or inadequate prenatal care (13.4%), while a greater proportion received adequate (10.8%), intermediate (34.8%), or enhanced prenatal care (38.8%).
Findings on Care and Delivery Locations
The researchers observed that the initiation of prenatal care significantly influenced delivery outcomes. Specifically, there was a 10.5 percentage point increase in the probability of delivery at a cardiac center for fetuses with mild CHD, and a 30.2 percentage point increase for those with severe CHD, compared to those who did not receive adequate prenatal care.
Interestingly, for neonates with mild CHD, the study found that receiving adequate-plus prenatal care was associated with a 6.7 percentage point decrease in the likelihood of being born at a cardiac center compared to those with intermediate prenatal care. In contrast, for infants diagnosed with severe CHD, the frequency of prenatal visits did not appear to correlate with delivery outcomes.
The Importance of Access to Specialized Care
The study underscores the critical role of effective prenatal care in ensuring that infants with congenital heart defects are delivered in appropriate healthcare settings. Joyce Woo, M.D., senior author and also affiliated with Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital, emphasized this point, stating, “Prenatal care ensures that babies with congenital heart defects are born at the right location with the appropriate intensity of care based on their clinical needs.”
These findings not only contribute to the understanding of prenatal care’s impact on health outcomes for vulnerable populations but also call for enhanced accessibility and quality of prenatal services to improve delivery practices for neonates with congenital heart disease.
For further details, refer to the complete study by Christina Laternser et al, titled “Prenatal Care and Perinatal Regionalization for Congenital Heart Defects,” published in JAMA Network Open (2025). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.42135.
