byAnn & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

In cases of mild congenital heart defects, more prenatal visits are associated with a greater likelihood of appropriate delivery at a community hospital, according to a study published inJAMA Network Open. Results suggest that more prenatal care is beneficial for families and may allow their newborns with mild heart defects to receive the right level of care closer to home, as opposed to traveling to a regional cardiac surgical center, which can be expensive, taxing and stressful for families.

This analysis was presented at theAmerican Heart Association Scientific Sessionson November 9, 2025.

Congenital heart defects are the most common and resource-intensive birth defects in the United States. Infants with the most complex heart defects are usually directed to regional cardiac surgical centers, while babies with mild heart defects can safely receive the right care at a community hospital.

"Our findings underscore the importance ofprenatal carein driving the utilization of appropriate care fornewbornswith heart defects," said senior author Joyce Woo, MD, MS, pediatric cardiologist at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Medical Social Sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

"One prenatal visit is usually not enough, since fetal heart disease can change over the duration of pregnancy. It can potentially become less severe than initially suspected. If the newborn does not need surgery right away, then remaining closer to home fordeliverycan be the right decision. Many families might prefer that. Risk-appropriate care benefits the overall health care system too."

In the study, Dr. Woo and colleagues used a statewide administrative database to analyze data on 12,113 babies born with heart defects in Illinois between 2013–2021. They aimed to estimate how two components of prenatal care adequacy—initiation of care and frequency of visits—are related to delivery location for neonates with congenital heart defects.

They found that delayed prenatal care initiation was associated with an increased likelihood of delivery at a cardiac surgical center compared to no prenatal care, regardless of the severity of the heart defect. But for babies with mild congenital heart defects, more prenatal visits were associated with a 7 percentage-point decrease in probability of delivery at a cardiac surgical center.

"Caring for children with heart defects begins before birth. Prenatal care ensures thatbabieswithcongenital heart defectsare born at the right location with the appropriate intensity of care based on their clinical needs. It also allows for consideration for their family's preferences for delivery location," said Dr. Woo.

"Our findings can also help inform statewide policies on perinatal resource allocation."

More information: JAMA Network Open (2025). Journal information: JAMA Network Open

Provided by Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago