Heart health in pregnancy: predicting and improving outcomes for women with cardiovascular disease
Official title: The Heart Outcomes for Pregnancy Expectations Study
Funded at Saint Luke's Hospital · NIH-11584008 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A large, national study will follow pregnant women with heart-related health issues to learn what care patterns lead to better outcomes for moms and babies.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Saint Luke's Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Kansas City, United States) |
| Project start | September 20, 2024 |
| Project end | May 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,795,316 |
| NIH project number | 7R01HL166836-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11584008 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Pregnant individuals with cardiovascular disease receiving care at participating COB clinics.
✕Less likely to help
Pregnant individuals without cardiovascular disease or those not treated at participating sites may not benefit from this study.
What this research studies
This project enrolls about 1,000 pregnant women with cardiovascular disease across multiple clinics to track medical care, patient experiences, and clinic structures. Researchers will collect clinical data, patient-reported outcomes, and details about how care is organized to see what helps prevent complications. The goal is to identify which care practices are linked to fewer adverse events for mothers and babies and to clarify how to deliver best-practice cardio-obstetrics. The study builds on existing cardio-obstetrics clinics and aims to provide evidence to standardize care nationwide.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could help doctors tailor prenatal care to reduce complications for pregnancies affected by heart disease and improve quality of life for mothers and babies.
How similar studies have gone: Previous smaller studies have suggested that structured cardio-obstetrics care may improve outcomes, but this is a large, multi-site prospective evaluation.
Where this research is happening
-
Saint Luke's Hospital
Kansas City, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Spertus, John a — Saint Luke's Hospital
- 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.