The 5th International Congress on Cardiac Problems in Pregnancy (CPP) took place on February 22–22, 2018 in Bologna, Italy. This Congress is the biggest event devoted to the topical issues of managing pregnancy and delivery in patients with a high risk of cardiac complications. The target audience of this medical event are cardiologists, obstetricians, gynecologists, anesthesiologists, primary care physicians, pediatricians, specialists in medical imaging and family medicine physicians. The Congress brings together reputed international and domestic professional societies, associations, scientific medical schools. It provides a platform to interact with renowned leading experts in cardiology from all over the world.
The session on congenital heart defects chaired by the world's leading experts in cardiology, professors Uri Elkayam, Avraham Shotan, Candice Silversides, included the presentation by Elena Karelkina, research associate from the Department of Non-Coronary Myocardial Diseases of the Almazov Centre, who presented the experience of managing pregnancy and delivery in patients with congenital heart defects at the Perinatal Centre.
The Congress also presented a unique case of successful pregnancy outcome in a patient with a “critical” congenital heart disease, an unoperated single ventricle. The presentation triggered many questions and thoughts that led to a vivid discussion about the experience of managing congenital heart defects in different countries, various ways of treating such patients, and the need to update the guidelines on the tactics of managing pregnancy in women with congenital heart defects.