Issue: 2004 > September > case report

Congestive heart failure in pregnancy: a case of peripartum cardiomyopathy



CASE REPORT
G. Rosner, S.N. Wolchock Rosner, I. Heller, M. Topilsky
AbstractPDF

Abstract

A healthy 28-year-old woman developed full-blown pulmonary oedema in the 36th week of gestation. Echocardiography revealed a globally enlarged heart with reduced systolic function. A remarkable clinical response with regain of normal ventricular function was noted with early medical intervention. This case report illustrates peripartum cardiomyopathy, a unique form of dilated cardiomyopathy affecting women during/following gestation. Clinician familiarity with this entity increases the probability of prompt appropriate treatment, offering patients the best possible prognosis.