A 32-year-old woman was referred to our hospital during the 35th week of pregnancy because of chest pain and dyspnea. The cesarean section was performed and a healthy infant was delivered. On the 16th hospital day, she developed heart failure. Echocardiograms revealed protrusion of the mitral valve into the left atrium in systole, vegetation and worsening of mitral regurgitation. CT showed splenic infarction. Mitral valve replacement was performed after inflammatory findings were improved by antibiotics. We reported here a case of infective endocarditis during the perinatal period.

We treated six patients with torsade de pointes (TdP) initiated by the prolonged QT interval in our hospital over the past five years. All the patients were on antiarrhythmic therapy ; one received procainamide, one received aprindine, one received pirmenol and the remaining three patients received disopyramide. In three of the six patients, the serum drug levels were within or below the therapeutic range. Three patients had hypokalemia as another precipitating factor. Two patients developed TdP after a long-term administration of the drugs. Great care must be exercised just in case TdP showed be developed by a conbination of precipitating factors even after the long-term administration of these antiarrhythmic drugs.