title: Heart failure in pregnant women: is it peripartum cardiomyopathy?
abstract: Peripartum cardiomyopathy is a rare but important cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. Women with peripartum cardiomyopathy often present with symptoms and signs of heart failure. The diagnosis of peripartum cardiomyopathy is made after all other causes of heart failure are excluded. Emphasis is on the immediate recognition of an unwell pregnant or recently pregnant woman, early diagnosis with the use of echocardiography, and the correct treatment of heart failure.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Anaesthesia, The Royal Women's Hospital, Parkville, Australia; and Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and Department of Pharmacology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia.
authors.forename: Alicia Therese
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Dennis
mesh_terms: D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D058725:Peripartum Period; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011247:Pregnancy; D011249:Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors