Key result
Early echocardiography enables prompt diagnosis of peripartum cardiomyopathy presenting as postpartum respiratory distress.
Why the study?
Early symptoms of peripartum cardiomyopathy may mimic normal pregnancy symptoms, complicating diagnosis in the last trimester and postpartum period.
Case Report (n=1)
High suspicion for PPCM remains essential amid peripartum symptom overlap; case reports leave open prospective validation of diagnostic thresholds.
Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is an idiopathic cardiomyopathy that presents with heart failure secondary to left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Onset is from the last trimester of pregnancy to 5 months postpartum. Diagnosis in the last trimester is complicated by the fact that the early symptoms of this disorder may mimic the symptoms of normal pregnancy. However, it is essential for the practitioner dealing with such population to have a high degree of clinical suspicion for early diagnosis and management. Echocardiography is used to diagnose this entity and monitor the therapy. We present a case report of a 40-year-old woman who presented two days post-partum with respiratory distress and early echocardiography helped in diagnosing PPCM. The aim of this report is to make health professionals aware of the possibilities of PPCM in a woman with dyspnoea in the postpartum period. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/medtoday.v25i2.17930 Medicine Today 2013 Vol.25(2): 96-98
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Khan et al. (2014) conducted a case report in Peripartum cardiomyopathy (n=1). Echocardiography was evaluated. Early echocardiography successfully diagnosed peripartum cardiomyopathy in a 40-year-old woman presenting with respiratory distress two days post-partum.
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