Fetal arrhythmias are rare but they are an important avoidable cause of
perinatal mortality. Timely diagnosis is therefore crucial, as treatment can be life
saving. Careful evaluation of cardiac structure and function using different
echocardiographic modalities can exclude structural cardiac anomalies as well as
provide accurate information about the atrial and ventricular contraction rates, their
relationship, conduction pattern and hemodynamic consequences of arrhythmia.
Although observation and reassurance will suffice in a substantial proportion of
pregnancies complicated by fetal arrhythmia, some will require intrauterine therapy or
early delivery followed by postnatal treatment to prevent heart failure and
fetal/neonatal demise. Fortunately, most common fetal arrhythmias are few of those
conditions that can be managed successfully in utero with good results. In this chapter,
we describe the normal and abnormal fetal cardiac rhythms, their diagnosis and
prenatal management.
Keywords: Arrhythmia, Bradycardia, Fetal cardiology, Fetal cardiac rhythm, Fetal echocardiography, Fetal heart, Tachycardia.
