Aortic dissection accompanying with preeclampsia during pregnancy can be lethal to both the mother and the fetus and carries a high mortality. Of the 2 preeclampsia patients with aortic dissection, one was Type B aortic dissection, occurring in postpartum period. The patient was treated medically and underwent catheter-based stent-graft treatment with fenestration technique. Another patient was Type A acute dissection, occurring in the third trimester. This patient was undiagnosed and both died. Although extremely rare, aortic dissection might be a possibility in preeclampsia pregnant women, the differential diagnosis of chest and/or epigastric pain in preeclampia patient should be thoroughly investigated and treated.
Adult ; Aneurysm, Dissecting ; diagnosis ; etiology ; Female ; Humans ; Pre-Eclampsia ; physiopathology ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular

INTRODUCTIONAtherosclerotic coronary artery thrombosis is the most common cause of acute myocardial infarction.

CLINICAL PICTUREA 30-year-old lady presented with acute peripartum massive anterior ST segment myocardial infarction and cardiogenic shock. This was due to acute Stanford type A aortic dissection with the intimal flap occluding the left coronary ostium. The initial diagnosis was not apparent. Echocardiography confirmed the diagnosis.

TREATMENT AND OUTCOMEShe underwent emergency surgical repair (Bentall procedure). Pathology confirmed underlying idiopathic cystic medial degeneration.

CONCLUSIONA high index of clinical suspicion is required in acute myocardial infarction presenting without traditional cardiovascular risk factors.

Acute Disease ; Adult ; Aneurysm, Dissecting ; complications ; diagnosis ; surgery ; Aortic Aneurysm ; complications ; diagnosis ; surgery ; Echocardiography ; Electrocardiography ; Female ; Humans ; Myocardial Infarction ; etiology ; physiopathology ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular ; Shock, Cardiogenic ; etiology

OBJECTIVE: To explore the management of heart failure, the timing of delivery in pregnancy, and the influence on pregnant prognosis. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the incidence of heart failure, treatment results, pattern of termination, and time of termination in 356 cases of pregnancy with heart disease. RESULTS: One hundred and thirty-six (38.20%) cases were diagnosed as heart failure and 76 (55.88%) were moderate or severe heart failure. Heart failure tends to occur more easily in rheumatic heart diseases than in congenital heart diseases. Heart failure occurred more frequently in pregnancy with rheumatic heart diseases without the heart operation before pregnancy than that of pregnancy with congenital heart diseases. The occurence of the moderate and severe heart failure in pregnancy decreased in rheumatic heart diseases with surgical therapies compared with those without surgical therapies (P <0.05). Compared with pregnancy with heart failure controlled inadequately, pregnancy with effectively controlled heart failure had better tolerance during delivery and through the pregnancy, and puerperium. CONCLUSION Congenital heart diseases and rheumatic heart diseases are the chief causes of heart failure during the gestation. Therapy before pregnancy, especially surgery to the rheumatic heart diseases, may improve the cardiac function during pregnancy. Monitoring heart function and selecting the proper timing to terminate pregnancy after controlling the heart failure in late pregnant period will be helpful to improve the prognosis of pregnant and perineonate.
Adult ; Delivery, Obstetric ; Female ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; complications ; Heart Failure ; etiology ; therapy ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular ; therapy ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Retrospective Studies ; Rheumatic Heart Disease ; complications ; Time Factors

Pheochromocytoma in pregnancy is very rare but it is associated with very high maternal and fetal mortality. Therefore, it is important to include pheochromocytoma in the differential diagnosis of hypertension associated with pregnancy. It is difficult to make a diagnosis of pheochromocytoma in pregnancy before delivery. The characteristic symptoms of pheochromocytoma could be initiated during delivery because the process of delivery, general anesthesia, fetal movement, induce acute surge of catecholamine release, which could also induce cardiomyopathy. Early diagnosis and intensive care can affect the prognosis of cardiomyopathy induced by pheochromocytoma. Proper management with alpha-blockade, beta-blockade and angiotension converting enzyme inhibitor could acutely reverse the course of cardiomyopathy.
Adrenal Gland Neoplasms/surgery ; Adrenal Gland Neoplasms/diagnosis* ; Adrenal Gland Neoplasms/complications ; Adult ; Cardiovascular Agents/therapeutic use ; Disease-Free Survival ; Echocardiography ; Electrocardiography ; Female ; Human ; Myocardial Diseases/ultrasonography ; Myocardial Diseases/etiology* ; Myocardial Diseases/drug therapy ; Pheochromocytoma/surgery ; Pheochromocytoma/diagnosis* ; Pheochromocytoma/complications ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular/etiology* ; Pregnancy Complications, Neoplastic/surgery ; Pregnancy Complications, Neoplastic/diagnosis* ; Pregnancy Outcome* ; Puerperium ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Substances: Cardiovascular Agents

No definitive recommendation is available concerning optimal antithrombotic therapy in pregnant women with a mechanical heart valve. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the clinical results of nadroparin treatment with respect to pregnancy outcome and maternal complications. From 1997 to 2005, 31 pregnancies were reviewed in 25 women. Nadroparin (7,500 U, twice daily) was used in 23 pregnancies between 6 and 12 weeks of gestation and close-to-term only, and coumarin derivatives were used with aspirin at other times. Eight pregnant women treated with coumarin derivatives throughout pregnancy were compared to evaluate the safety and efficacy of nadroparin. No maternal death or bleeding complication occurred in either of the two groups, and frequencies of maternal thromboembolism including valve thrombosis (8.7% vs. 12.5%, p>0.05) were similar. However, the frequencies of live born (91.3% vs. 50%, p=0.01) and healthy babies (90.4% vs. 25%, p<0.01) were significantly higher, and the fetal loss rate was significantly lower (8.7% vs. 50%, p=0.01) in the nadroparin-treated group. Regarding the efficacy and safety of antithrombotic treatment in pregnant women with prosthetic heart valves, nadroparin treatment during the first trimester is an acceptable regimen and produces better results than coumarin derivatives.
Treatment Outcome ; Thrombosis/etiology/*prevention & control ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular/*etiology/*prevention & control ; Pregnancy ; Nadroparin/*administration & dosage/*adverse effects ; Hydrocephalus/chemically induced ; Humans ; Heart Valve Prosthesis/*adverse effects ; Heart Valve Diseases/etiology/*prevention & control ; Female ; Coumarins/administration & dosage ; Adult

OBJECTIVE: It is uncertain whether preeclampsia (PE) is caused by pre-existing factors or by pregnancy itself. We want to answer this important question in public health by conducting a large pre-conception cohort in China. METHODS: A prospective and pre-conception cohort study with a target recruitment of 5000 couples who plan to have a baby within 6 months was performed and their conception, delivery, and postpartum were followed up in Liuyang county, Hunan Province of P. R. China. RESULTS: A total of 1915 young couples have been recruited into this unique pre-conception cohort till now. In general, both systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure decreased in early second trimester from pre-conception level but increased in third trimester and at delivery. CONCLUSION The proposed pre-conception cohort study will have important theoretical and practical implications on the prevention of PE and its associated cardiovascular disease risks.
Adult ; Blood Pressure ; physiology ; China ; Female ; Humans ; Pre-Eclampsia ; etiology ; physiopathology ; prevention & control ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular ; physiopathology ; prevention & control ; Prospective Studies ; Young Adult

BACKGROUNDEarly onset severe preeclampsia is a specific type of severe preeclampsia, which causes high morbidity and mortality of both mothers and fetus. This study aimed to investigate the clinical definition, features, treatment, outcome and risk factors of early onset severe preeclampsia in Chinese women.

METHODSFour hundred and thirteen women with severe preeclampsia from June 2006 to June 2009 were divided into three groups according to the gestational age at the onset of preeclampsia as follows: group A (less than 32 weeks, 73 cases), group B (between 32 and 34 weeks, 71 cases), and group C (greater than 34 weeks, 269 cases). The demographic characteristics of the subjects, complications, delivery modes and outcome of pregnancy were analyzed retrospectively.

RESULTSThe systolic blood pressure at admission and the incidence of severe complications were significantly lower in group C than those in groups A and B, prolonged gestational weeks and days of hospitalization were significantly shorter in group C than those in groups A and B. Liver and kidney dysfunction, pleural and peritoneal effusion, placental abruption and postpartum hemorrhage were more likely to occur in group A compared with the other two groups. Twenty-four-hour urine protein levels at admission, intrauterine fetal death and days of hospitalization were risk factors that affected complications of severe preeclampsia. Gestational week at admission and delivery week were also risk factors that affected perinatal outcome.

CONCLUSIONSEarly onset severe preeclampsia should be defined as occurring before 34 weeks, and it is featured by more maternal complications and a worse perinatal prognosis compared with that defined as occurring after 34 weeks. Independent risk factors should be used to tailor the optimized individual treatment plan, to balance both maternal and neonatal safety.

Adult ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Female ; Fetal Death ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Pre-Eclampsia ; epidemiology ; mortality ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications ; epidemiology ; mortality ; Risk Factors

Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a rare but serious form of cardiac failure affecting women in the last months of pregnancy or early puerperium. Clinical presentation of PPCM is similar to that of systolic heart failure from any cause, and it can sometimes be complicated by a high incidence of thromboembolism. Prior to the availability of echocardiography, diagnosis was based only on clinical findings. Recently, inclusion of echocardiography has made diagnosis of PPCM easier and more accurate. Its etiopathogenesis is still poorly understood, but recent evidence supports inflammation, viral infection and autoimmunity as the leading causative hypotheses. Prompt recognition with institution of intensive treatment by a multidisciplinary team is a prerequisite for improved outcome. Conventional treatment consists of diuretics, beta blockers, vasodilators, and sometimes digoxin and anticoagulants, usually in combination. In resistant cases, newer therapeutic modalities such as immunomodulation, immunoglobulin and immunosuppression may be considered. Cardiac transplantation may be necessary in patients not responding to conventional and newer therapeutic strategies. The role of the anesthesiologist is important in perioperative and intensive care management. Prognosis is highly related to reversal of ventricular dysfunction. Compared to historically higher mortality rates, recent reports describe better outcome, probably because of advances in medical care. Based on current information, future pregnancy is usually not recommended in patients who fail to recover heart function. This article aims to provide a comprehensive updated review of PPCM covering etiopathogeneses, clinical presentation and diagnosis, as well as pharmacological, perioperative and intensive care management and prognosis, while stressing areas that require further research.
Anesthesia, Obstetrical/adverse effects ; Echocardiography, Doppler ; Female ; Heart Failure/*diagnosis/etiology/therapy ; Humans ; Incidence ; Mortality ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular/*diagnosis/etiology/therapy ; Prognosis ; Recurrence ; Risk Factors ; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left/ultrasonography