Peripartum Cardiomyopathy and Critical Care Follow-Up

Abstract

Peripartum cardiomyopathy is rare but carries a high risk of mortality during pregnancy with systolic heart failure. It may occur during the last month of pregnancy or following five months after birth. The clinical symptoms can usually be confused with the physiological changes of pregnancy. Therefore the disease is often diagnosed late and requires a multidisciplinary approach. In this report, we try to describe the clinical presentation of a 40-year-old pregnant patient with systolic heart failure at postoperative first day and its management in the intensive care unit.