Heart health and pregnancy outcomes
Official title: The Heart Outcomes for Pregnancy Expectations Study
Funded at University of Missouri Kansas City · NIH-11195055 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project follows pregnant people with heart disease to see which care setups and patient traits link to better outcomes for mothers and babies.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Missouri Kansas City NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Kansas City, United States) |
| Project start | September 20, 2024 |
| Project end | May 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $2,149,251 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL166836-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11195055 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People who are pregnant and have known or newly diagnosed cardiovascular disease who start prenatal care at one of the participating cardio-obstetrics clinics.
✕Less likely to help
People without cardiovascular disease during pregnancy are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this study.
What this research studies
You would be one of 1,000 pregnant people with cardiovascular disease seen across 33 cardio-obstetrics clinics in the United States. Doctors will collect medical records, symptoms and quality-of-life questionnaires, and information about how each clinic is organized. The study will track pregnancy complications, maternal heart events, and newborn problems over time. By comparing patients and clinic features, the team hopes to find which care components relate to better or worse outcomes.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the results could point to clinic setups and care strategies that reduce pregnancy complications and heart-related maternal deaths.
How similar studies have gone: Smaller clinic reports and expert recommendations exist, but this is the first large, US-based prospective study testing which cardio-obstetrics care components link to outcomes.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Missouri Kansas City
Kansas City, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Spertus, John a — University of Missouri Kansas City
- Study coordinator: Spertus, John a
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.