British Journal of Anaesthesia, Vol 75, Issue 1 97-101, Copyright © 1995 by The Board of Management and Trustees of the British Journal of Anaesthesia
A. K. McIndoe, E. J. Hammond and PCB. Babington
Peripartum cardiomyopathy is defined as the onset of acute heart failure
without demonstrable cause in the last trimester of pregnancy or within the
first 6 months after delivery. It occurs in about 1 in 4000 deliveries and
is often unrecognized as symptoms of normal pregnancy commonly mimic those
of mild heart failure. We describe a previously asymptomatic patient who
presented with a cardiac arrest at induction of general anaesthesia for
emergency Caesarean section and subsequently developed acute heart failure.
This case is unique both in its mode of presentation and the total absence
of antecedent symptoms or signs of cardiac disease.
CASE REPORTS
Peripartum cardiomyopathy presenting as a cardiac arrest at induction of anaesthesia for emergency caesarean section
Department of Anaesthesia, Princess Margaret Hospital, Okus Road, Swindon SN1 4JU
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