How Clinicians Prenatally Discuss Management Options and Outcomes for Congenital Heart Disease
Fetal cardiology consultations offer an important opportunity to support families navigating uncertainty following a prenatal diagnosis of CHD. Clinicians approached these conversations with empathy and a focus on long-term outcomes, though discussions about management options varied. There is an opportunity for increased presentation and integration of palliative care consultants as a longitudinal, family-centered resource, regardless of mortality risk, which may enhance supports available to families during this highly emotional period. Ongoing efforts to improve family-centered counseling and resources, such as access to perinatal palliative care, may help ensure families receive comprehensive, values-aligned information across the spectrum of care pathways.
Authors
- Judy C. Chang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6512-3798)
- Kelsey Schweiberger (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5854-5300)
- Samantha Syme (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9081-8778)
- Kelly W. Harris (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5732-5197)
- Nadine A. Kasparian (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8075-6817)
- Robert M. Arnold (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1610-8932)
- Ann Kavanaugh‐McHugh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7363-2477)
Institutions
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (US)
- University of Pittsburgh (US)
- University of Cincinnati (US)
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center (US)
- University of Cincinnati Medical Center (US)
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Pain and Symptom Management
- Published
- 2025-11-27
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2025.11.026
- Primary Topic
- Congenital Heart Disease Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
- National Palliative Care Research Center
- National Heart Foundation of Australia
- National Institutes of Health
- Health Resources and Services Administration
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
- National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences