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Echocardiographic quantification of fetal cardiac output (CO) aids clinical decision-making in the management of various cardiac and extracardiac diseases. Small variability in measuring semilunar valve dimension significantly reduces the reproducibility of the calculated CO. The authors propose minute stroke distance or velocity-time integral (VTI) as a more reproducible measure reflecting fetal ventricular systolic function. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that right and left ventricular minute VTI increase predictably with estimated fetal weight and are more reproducible than CO.Five hundred seventy-one singleton fetuses without cardiovascular pathology between 16 and 36 weeks' gestation were reviewed retrospectively. Twenty-two fetuses with pathology resulting in low- or high-CO states were also assessed for comparison. VTI was measured in both ventricular outflow tracts at the level of the semilunar valve, excluding a Doppler insonation angle of30°. Heart rate, semilunar valve dimension, and VTI determined minute VTI and CO. Inter- and intrarater variability were evaluated in a random 10% subset.Minute VTI and CO measurements were feasible in 67% to 89% of fetuses in this retrospective study. Minute VTI and CO increased with estimated fetal weight nonlinearly (R = 0.61-0.94). The mean inter- and intrarater variability for VTI, 6% and 5.7%, were significantly less than for CO, 25% and 23.7% (P .001 for all).Minute VTI is an easily measured, highly reproducible method of quantifying fetal ventricular systolic function. Variability in calculated CO from valve measurement differences is minimized by solely using VTI. Nomograms of minute VTI provide an efficient and precise assessment of fetal systolic function and may be used to track fetuses in disease states with low or high CO.

Background:Prenatal diagnosis (preDx) of critical congenital heart disease (CCHD) decreases neonatal morbidity and mortality. Obstetrical fetal cardiac imaging guidelines in 2013 aimed to increase preDx. Objective: To determine the contemporary preDx rate of CCHD and identify maternal-fetal factors and variations in prenatal care that may be potential barriers. Methods: This retrospective single center study evaluated maternal demographics and characteristics of infants with CCHD (requiring cardiac catheterization or surgical intervention before 6 months-old) between 2016 and 2019. Results:58% of the 339 infants with CCHD had preDx. Infants with preDx were more likely to have mothers ≥ 35 years-old (p=0.028), family history of CHD (p=0.017), health insurance (p=0.002), or anatomic scan with perinatology (pConclusion:PreDx rates of CCHD remains inadequate across subtypes detectable by standard fetal cardiac screening views, particularly in uninsured and Hispanic communities.