Abstract 14242: Homogeneous Fetal Access to Cardiac Care in a Heterogeneous State
Introduction: Timely prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease (CHD) allows for families to participate in complex decisions and plan for the care of their child. This study sought to investigate if the timing of the first fetal echocardiogram (FE) and the characteristics of fetal counseling were impacted by parental socioeconomic factors. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that the scheduling of initial FE would be delayed due to distance from hospital, rurality of maternal home and median income. Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of all fetal patients referred to our institution from 1/1/17 to 12/31/18 with a diagnosis of CHD. We looked at the gestational age at the first FE, age of mother, zip code of residence, rurality index, distance from our hospital and maternal ethnicity. Counseling was evaluated based on documentation in the FE report regarding use of interpreter, time billed for counseling, individuals accompanying mother, and treatment option chosen. Results: 138 maternal-fetal dyads met inclusion criteria, 29 dyads had a diagnosis of single ventricle heart disease. The median gestational age (GA) at first FE was 24 weeks 4 days. The median income was $57,019 ($42,624-$83,695), and the median distance to the hospital was 51 miles (3.2-379.9miles). There was no difference in income, distance from hospital or rurality index and timing of first FE. There was no significant difference between maternal ethnicity and age of mother, GA at initial FE, number of follow-up FEs or family accompanying mother to the visit. There was no difference in maternal ethnicity and use of interpreter with time counseled. Patients who lived in rural areas did have increased counseling time (p<.05). Importantly, there was no difference between socioeconomic factors and ultimate parental choices (termination, palliative delivery or surgery). Conclusions: Oregon comprises a heterogeneous population from a large geographical catchment. While prenatal counseling and family decision making is multifaceted we demonstrated that dyads were referred from across the state and received care in a uniformly timely manner, and once at our center received consistent counseling despite differences in parental socioeconomic factors.