"Cardio-obstetrics": A burgeoning field in need of increased awareness, training and collaboration.

Abstract Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is now the leading cause of maternal mortality in the industrialized nations. This public health crisis is driven by a variety of factors which include advancing maternal age, increasing prevalence of diabetes and hypertension and the growing number of adults with congenital heart disease. To meet the needs of this complex and diverse population the sub-speciality of cardio-obstetrics has developed. By its very nature cardio-obstetrics is a team endeavour and requires contributions from multiple disciplines to deliver optimal care. In this article we argue that cardio-obstetrics is not a niche issue. The magnitude of the current health challenges makes it imperative that all physicians who care for women of child bearing age have a basic knowledge of how CVD can impart risk to women during and beyond pregnancy. In this article we address how to increase awareness within the general medical community so that health care workers are able to recognize potential issues and are aware of how to refer to appropriate specialists. We discuss how to incorporate this within cardiology training so that general cardiologists consider the implications that pregnancy has on their patients. Lastly we reflect on the training of the obstetric cardiologists of tomorrow as this field continues to evolve.