Unrestricted by time and place, electronic health (eHealth) provides solutions for patient empowerment and value-based health care. Women in the reproductive age are particularly frequent users of internet, social media, and smartphone apps. Therefore, the pregnant patient seems to be a prime candidate for eHealth-supported health care with telemedicine for fetal and maternal conditions. This study aims to review the current literature on eHealth developments in pregnancy to assess this new generation of perinatal care. We conducted a systematic literature search of studies on eHealth technology in perinatal care in PubMed and EMBASE in June 2017. Studies reporting the use of eHealth during prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal care were included. Given the heterogeneity in study methods, used technologies, and outcome measurements, results were analyzed and presented in a narrative overview of the literature. The literature search provided 71 studies of interest. These studies were categorized in 6 domains: information and eHealth use, lifestyle (gestational weight gain, exercise, and smoking cessation), gestational diabetes, mental health, low- and middle-income countries, and telemonitoring and teleconsulting. Most studies in gestational diabetes and mental health show that eHealth applications are good alternatives to standard practice. Examples are interactive blood glucose management with remote care using smartphones, telephone screening for postnatal depression, and Web-based cognitive behavioral therapy. Apps and exercise programs show a direction toward less gestational weight gain, increase in step count, and increase in smoking abstinence. Multiple studies describe novel systems to enable home fetal monitoring with cardiotocography and uterine activity. However, only few studies assess outcomes in terms of fetal monitoring safety and efficacy in high-risk pregnancy. Patients and clinicians report good overall satisfaction with new strategies that enable the shift from hospital-centered to patient-centered care. This review showed that eHealth interventions have a very broad, multilevel field of application focused on perinatal care in all its aspects. Most of the reviewed 71 articles were published after 2013, suggesting this novel type of care is an important topic of clinical and scientific relevance. Despite the promising preliminary results as presented, we accentuate the need for evidence for health outcomes, patient satisfaction, and the impact on costs of the possibilities of eHealth interventions in perinatal care. In general, the combination of increased patient empowerment and home pregnancy care could lead to more satisfaction and efficiency. Despite the challenges of privacy, liability, and costs, eHealth is very likely to disperse globally in the next decade, and it has the potential to deliver a revolution in perinatal care.

Background: Women with a history of hypertensive disorders, including pre‐eclampsia, during pregnancy have a two‐ to‐five‐fold increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). In 15% of women, pre‐eclampsia recurs in the following pregnancy.Objectives: To evaluate all evidence on the future risk of developing hypertension and CVD after multiple pregnancies complicated by pre‐eclampsia compared with pre‐eclampsia in a single pregnancy followed by normal subsequent pregnancy.Search strategy: Embase and Medline were searched until June 2017.Selection criteria: All relevant studies on the risk of developing hypertension, atherosclerosis, ischaemic heart disease, cerebrovascular accident (CVA), thromboembolism, heart failure or overall hospitalisation and mortality due to CVD after having had recurrent pre‐eclampsia.Data collection and analysis: Twenty‐two studies were included in the review. When possible, we calculated pooled risk ratios (RR) with 95% CI through random‐effect analysis.Main results: Recurrent pre‐eclampsia was consistently associated with an increased pooled risk ratio of hypertension (RR 2.3; 95% CI 1.9–2.9), ischaemic heart disease (RR 2.4; 95% CI 2.2–2.7), heart failure (RR 2.9; 95% CI 2.3–3.7), CVA (RR 1.7; 95% CI 1.2–2.6) and hospitalisation due to CVD (RR 1.6; 95% CI 1.3–1.9) when compared with women with subsequent uncomplicated pregnancies. Other studies on thromboembolism, atherosclerosis and cardiovascular mortality found a positive effect, but data could not be pooled.Conclusions: This systematic review and meta‐analysis support consistent higher risk for future development of hypertension and CVD in women with recurring pre‐eclampsia as opposed to women with a single episode of pre‐eclampsia.Tweetable The risk of future cardiovascular disease increases when women have recurrence of pre‐eclampsia compared with a single episode.

Soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt1), a circulating antiangiogenic protein, is elevated in kidney diseases and contributes to the development of preeclampsia. Hydrogen sulfide is a vasorelaxant and proangiogenic gas with therapeutic potential in several diseases. Therefore, we evaluated the potential therapeutic effect and mechanisms of action of hydrogen sulfide in an animal model of sFlt1-induced hypertension, proteinuria, and glomerular endotheliosis created by adenovirus-mediated overexpression of sFlt1 in Sprague-Dawley rats. We injected sFlt1-overexpressing animals intraperitoneally with the hydrogen sulfide–donor sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS) (50 µmol/kg, twice daily) or vehicle (n=7 per group). Treatment with NaHS for 8 days significantly reduced sFlt1-induced hypertension, proteinuria, and glomerular endotheliosis. Measurement of plasma protein concentrations with ELISA revealed a reduction of free plasma sFlt1 and an increase of free plasma vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) after treatment with NaHS. Renal VEGF-A mRNA expression increased significantly with NaHS treatment. In vitro, NaHS was proangiogenic in an endothelial tube assay and attenuated the antiangiogenic effects of sFlt1. Stimulation of podocytes with NaHS resulted in both short-term VEGF release (120 minutes) and upregulation of VEGF-A mRNA levels (24 hours). Furthermore, pretreatment of mesenteric vessels with a VEGF receptor 2–neutralizing antibody significantly attenuated NaHS-induced vasodilation. These results suggest that hydrogen sulfide ameliorates sFlt1-induced hypertension, proteinuria, and glomerular endotheliosis in rats by increasing VEGF expression. Further studies are warranted to evaluate the role of hydrogen sulfide as a novel therapeutic agent for vascular disorders such as preeclampsia.

Preeclampsia (PE) is a hypertensive pregnancy disorder complicating up to 1–5% of pregnancies, and a major cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. In recent years, observational studies have consistently shown that PE carries an increased risk for the mother to develop cardiovascular and renal disease later in life. Women with a history of PE experience a 2-fold increased risk of long-term cardiovascular disease (CVD) and an approximate 5–12-fold increased risk of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Recognition of PE as a risk factor for renal disease and CVD allows identification of a young population of women at high risk of developing of cardiovascular and renal disease. For this reason, current guidelines recommend cardiovascular screening and treatment for formerly preeclamptic women. However, these recommendations are based on low levels of evidence due to a lack of studies on screening and prevention in formerly preeclamptic women. This review lists the incidence of premature CVD and ESRD observed after PE and outlines observed abnormalities that might contribute to the increased CVD risk with a focus on kidney-related disturbances. We discuss gaps in current knowledge to guide optimal screening and prevention strategies. We emphasize the need for research on mechanisms of late disease manifestations, and on effective screening and therapeutic strategies aimed at reducing the late disease burden in formerly preeclamptic women.