Comprehensive Obstetrical Care

Maternal-Fetal Medicine

Outcomes reported here relate to care by maternal-fetal medicine staff practicing in Cleveland Clinic facilities in northeast Ohio.

The Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine at Cleveland Clinic is dedicated to providing the highest quality, expert care to pregnant persons with high-risk conditions. Our interdisciplinary team of MFM subspecialists, clinical nurses, genetic counselors, and pediatric subspecialists provide comprehensive care across the spectrum of obstetrics, including preconception consultation, ultrasonography and advanced fetal imaging, perinatal diagnostics, pregnancy care, and delivery. Our division has nationally recognized leaders with expertise across the broad spectrum of maternal and fetal medicine, from complex maternal medical conditions and maternal critical illness to fetal structural/genetic abnormalities and fetal therapy. We provide patient-centered, culturally competent, and compassion care and guide patients and families through the challenges of complex pregnancies. We value our partnership and collaboration with our Ob/Gyn specialists and midwives and utilize an obstetric care team approach. With active research and MFM Fellowship, we are also committed to training future generations of experts, pioneers, and leaders in our field.

Fetal Care Center and Fetal Therapy / Surgery

The Fetal Care Center at the Cleveland Clinic is a multidisciplinary program providing comprehensive care and advanced fetal diagnostics and intervention for pregnancies complicated by fetal anomalies or other obstetric conditions that may require fetal therapy or surgery. Harnessing the expertise of a range of specialists, including maternal-fetal medicine, perinatal genetics, neonatology, anesthesiology, and a range of pediatric subspecialists including pediatric/fetal surgery, cardiology, and radiology, our collaborative approach provides a complete and individualized care plan centered on achieving the best possible outcomes for women and families facing challenging circumstances. Our program also has four dedicated perinatal coordinators who provide education and resources, and support pregnant women and families throughout the entire care process from diagnosis through fetal intervention, delivery, and care after birth. The Special Delivery Unit, a complete labor and delivery unit housed within Cleveland Clinic Children’s, provides a setting for our multidisciplinary team to address complex maternal and neonatal care needs by brining all the available expertise of the Cleveland Clinic to delivery.

Our Fetal Care Center provides care for patients regionally and nationally, and is the only program in the region providing comprehensive fetal therapy.

Our Fetal Care Center received a total of 648 referrals in 2022, 158 of which were maternal, 460 fetal and 30 for concurrent maternal and fetal concerns. Since the initiation of the Fetal Surgery Program in February 2019, our fetal surgery team has performed 56 fetal surgeries with excellent outcomes. In addition to meningomyelocele repair, our fetal surgery team has also performed EXIT procedures for fetal neck and lung lesions as well as open fetal cardiac surgery. We performed 150 deliveries in 2022 at our Special Delivery Unit (SDU) where we care for our highest-risk mothers and neonates.

Maternal Cardio-Obstetric Clinic Volumes

2018 - 2022

Cardiac disease remains one of the leading causes of pregnancy-associated maternal morbidity and mortality in the United States [1]. The Cardio-Obstetrics Program at Cleveland Clinic provides comprehensive preconception and pregnancy care to women with congenital and acquired heart disease. Through uniting renowned experts in maternal fetal medicine, cardiology, cardiac surgery, cardiovascular and perinatal genetics, advanced cardiac imaging, and nutrition, our program provides individualized, interdisciplinary care for women with complex cardiac disease who are pregnant or contemplating pregnancy, thereby optimizing maternal and neonatal outcomes and minimizing pregnancy-associated risks. Our program has a dedicated Perinatal Coordinator who provides education and resources and helps patients navigate their care from pregnancy through delivery and the postpartum period. The Special Delivery Unit at main campus provides a delivery setting where state-of-the-art cardiovascular and obstetric care is provided during delivery and the immediate postpartum period, which is often the highest risk time for women with complex cardiac disease in pregnancy. In addition, given the impact of pregnancy-related hypertension on long term cardiac and metabolic risks, our program houses a dedicated postpartum clinic to facilitate ongoing care after delivery and reduce long-term cardiovascular risks.