[Maternal complications related to the mode of delivery in pregnant women with heart disease in a specialist high risk delivery hospital in Fortaleza, CE].

Purpose: To determine the association between maternal complications and type of delivery in women with heart disease and to identify the possible clinical and obstetrical factors implicated in the determination of the route of delivery.

Methods: This was a retrospective and descriptive study of the medical records of pregnant women with heart disease admitted to a tertiary reference hospital in the municipality of Fortaleza, Ceará, from 2006 to 2007. The study population included all pregnant women with an antepartum diagnosis of heart disease admitted for delivery, while women who received a diagnosis of heart disease after delivery were excluded, regardless of age and gestational week.