Nicky Herrick MD; and Anushree Agarwal, MD, MBBS, highlight their study on cardiac arrhythmias in pregnancy

Cardiac complications are a leading cause of maternal mortality in the United States. To address this, researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) are leading an innovative study, BRITE-MOM, that uses wearable ECG monitors to detect arrhythmias during pregnancy and postpartum.

Anushree Agarwal, MD, MBBS, cardiologist and associate professor at UC San Francisco.

Nicky Herrick, MD, a third-year cardiovascular disease fellow at UCSF, and Anushree Agarwal, MD, MBBS, associate professor of Medicine and Research director of the Adult Congenital Heart Disease and Cardio-Obstetrics Program at UCSF, are co-leading the prospective study. “We were using ambulatory ECG monitors to prospectively look for arrhythmias during pregnancy and postpartum,” said Herrick. “We're currently enrolling women during pregnancy. We've enrolled 29 so far.”

Nicky Herrick, MD, cardiovascular disease fellow at UC San Francisco.

The study focuses on 2 high-risk populations: pregnant women with congenital heart disease and those with preeclampsia. A healthy control group is also being followed for comparison. Participants wear a Vivalink Bluetooth-enabled ECG monitor for five days each month from enrollment through 6 months postpartum.

Agarwal highlighted the significance of UCSF’s clinical infrastructure. “We are fortunate here that at UCSF, we have a state-of-the-art, structured, comprehensive program to manage all patients with maternal cardiac disease,” she said, emphasizing the value of their multidisciplinary approach.

The study seeks to define normal ECG patterns in pregnancy and better identify high-risk patients. “As cardiologists, we hope, as a first step, this can primarily help us understand what is normal and what is abnormal in terms of these ECG parameters,” said Dr Herrick. “To be honest, most of our cardiology studies exclude pregnant women. And so that was another huge motivator for us.”

Incorporating continuous ECG monitoring may offer earlier identification and intervention. “It could also help us detect significant arrhythmia burden early on, maybe before patients become symptomatic or have poor outcomes from arrhythmias,” Agarwal noted.

Despite the promise, challenges remain in bringing these devices into routine clinical care. “The biggest challenge at this point is that we don't have a clinically available device that could be reusable and allow for continuous monitoring,” said Agarwal, citing cost, validation, and insurance coverage as additional barriers.

Still, both investigators remain optimistic. “Everyone has been incredibly generous with their time and really excited about the prospect of doing research in pregnancy. It's so needed, especially in the field of cardiology,” said Herrick.

Disclosure: Herrick and Agarwal report no relevant disclosures.

Reference:

Vivalink. UCSF Expands Arrhythmia Research with Vivalink's Biometrics Data Platform in Study to Examine Arrhythmias in High-Risk Pregnancies. PR Newswire. April 22, 2025. Accessed April 30, 2025. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ucsf-expands-arrhythmia-research-with-vivalinks-biometrics-data-platform-in-study-to-examine-arrhythmias-in-high-risk-pregnancies-302434201.html