Authors

• Marijana Pedić — Zadar General Hospital, Zadar, Croatia — ORCID: 0000-0003-4534-837X

Keywords

peripartum cardiomyopathy, heart failure

DOI

Full Text

**Introduction**: Pregnancy is associated with marked physiological changes that challenge the cardiovascular system. (1) Peripartum cardiomyopathy is defined by left ventricular dysfunction and the development of cardiac failure without a known cause, occurring in the final month of pregnancy and up to 5 months postpartum. (2, 3) **Case report**: 43-year-old patient was admitted to the Emergency Department due to difficulty breathing that has been going on for the last two days. The patient gave birth vaginally five days ago, and the birth went smoothly. This is her fourth pregnancy. Echocardiography verifies dilated cardiomyopathy with severely impaired left ventricular systolic function (LVEF 30-35%). Adequate therapy was immediately started, and on the sixth day, after clinical improvement, she was discharged from the hospital. After two years, she is still regularly monitored by a cardiologist, with recovered systolic function (LVEF 60-65%). **Conclusion**: Peripartum cardiomyopathy is a life-threatening condition in women that is important to recognize in time and react to properly. The cause is unknown, and much more research is needed to help in its prevention and treatment.

Literature

1. Hilfiker-Kleiner D, Haghikia A, Nonhoff J, Bauersachs J. Peripartum cardiomyopathy: current management and future perspectives. Eur Heart J. 2015 May 7;36(18):1090–7. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehv009
2. Dalmatin R, Zaninović Jurjević T, Zaputović L, Ružić A. Peripartum cardiomyopathy: case report and brief review of literature. Cardiol Croat. 2016;11(10-11):383. https://doi.org/10.15836/ccar2016.383
3. Jovanova S, Arnaudova-Dezulovic F, Boshev M, Livrinova V, Palasheva L, Miceva I. In-hospital outcome of patients with peripartum cardiomyopathy – a single center study. Cardiol Croat. 2014;9(9-10):437. https://doi.org/10.15836/ccar.2014.437