Fetal Cardiovascular Physiology

Fetal cardiology is a rapidly evolving subfield of pediatric cardiology. Advances in this field are largely driven by progress in fetal imaging technology. Although establishing diagnosis of congenital heart diseases continues to be the major endeavor in this field, intervention and therapeutic measures are increasingly explored and implemented during in utero life. To understand aberrations in hemodynamics because of congenital heart diseases and arrhythmias, it is helpful to learn the nuances of the normal physiology of the cardiovascular system as well as the pathophysiology resulting from prenatal heart diseases. This chapter reviews normal fetal cardiovascular physiology, the unique cardiac and circulatory adaptations present in fetal life, and perinatal hemodynamic changes in the presence of heart disease.