Nyoman Suciawan
Pediatrician, BaliMed Buleleng Hospital, Buleleng, Bali

Ida Bagus Komang Arjawa
Cardiologist, BaliMed Buleleng Hospital, Buleleng, Bali

DOI: https://doi.org/10.19184/ams.v10i1.44182

Abstract

Pregnancy with epilepsy can cause major risks for both the mother and the offspring. It is known that the use of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) during pregnancy can increase the risk of cardiac malformations. This journal reports a 19-day-old male infant who came with complaints of shortness of breath and a blue lip 2 days before admission. The patient's mother was 21 years old, had 1 child, no hypertension or diabetes, but had a history of epilepsy and had taken epilepsy medication regularly since before pregnancy. Physical examination revealed cyanotic lips, chest wall retraction, coarse crackles, and murmurs. The patient's clinical presentation was associated with congenital heart disease, so he was further observed in the NICU. A perimembranous ventricular septal defect and a patent foramen ovale were found on bedside echocardiography. The teratogenic effect of AED is thought to be one of the major causative factors of congenital heart disease. A ventricular septal defect is the most common cardiac malformation found in population-based studies. The long-term effects of AED exposure during pregnancy require further investigation, both in terms of the type of AED (old or new) and the duration of AED consumption. It is important to educate mothers-to-be about this risk factor, especially to avoid the risk of congenital heart disease in their offspring.

Keyword: Cardiac malformation, epilepsy, ventricular septal defect.

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