A second delivery after heart transplantation - a case study.
Pregnancy after organ transplantation is becoming relatively common. We present the case of a heart transplant recipient who gave birth to a second child. Despite the fact that the transplanted heart seems to adapt well to the changes caused by pregnancy, gestation in patients after heart transplantation may be complicated by hypertension, pre-eclampsia, or preterm labor. In this article, we consider the issues of preterm uterine contractions, anemia, thrombocytopenia, and several other complications in pregnant patients with transplanted hearts. We also present current opinions regarding the use of glucocorticoids as a form of preventing breathing disorders in neonates as well as breast-feeding by mothers receiving immunosuppressive agents. Pregnancies in heart transplant recipients should be considered high-risk. A second successful delivery of a healthy child remains a challenge for such patients and their doctors.
Department of Perinatology, First Chair of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Medical University of Lodz, Poland.
Jarosław
J
Kalinka
Department of Surgical and Oncological Gynecology, Medical University of Lodz, Poland.
Maria
M
Szubert
Department of Surgical and Oncological Gynecology, Medical University of Lodz, Poland.
Andrzej
A
Zdziennicki
Department of Hematology, Medical University of Lodz, Poland.
Krzysztof
K
Chojnowski
Department of Cardiology, Chair of Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery, Medical University of Lodz, Poland.
Marek
M
Maciejewski
Department of Cardiology, Chair of Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery, Medical University of Lodz, Poland.
Katarzyna
K
Piestrzeniewicz
Chair and Clinical Department of Cardiac Surgery and Transplantation, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Silesian Center for Heart Diseases, Zabrze, Poland.
Michał
M
Zakliczyński
Department of Cardiology, Chair of Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery, Medical University of Lodz, Poland.
Jarosław
J
Drożdż
Key heart transplantation; delivery; immunosuppressive agents; pregnancy