• Gert-Jan Eerdekens, Sarah Devroe, Werner Budts, and Steffen Rex.
• Department of Anesthesiology.
• Curr Opin Anaesthesiol. 2023 Jun 1; 36 (3): 269275269-275.

Purpose Of ReviewCardiovascular disease is increasingly emerging as a cause of peripartum morbidity and mortality. Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is defined as pregnancy-related heart failure with a reduced left ventricular ejection fraction <45%. PPCM develops in the peripartum phase and is not an aggravation of an existing prepregnancy cardiomyopathy. Anesthesiologists typically encounter these patients in the peripartum phase in a variety of settings and should be aware of this pathology and its implications for the perioperative management of parturients.Recent FindingsPPCM has been investigated increasingly over the last few years. Significant progress has been made in the assessment of global epidemiology, pathophysiological mechanisms, genetics and treatment.SummaryAlthough PPCM is an overall rare pathology, patients can potentially be encountered by any anesthesiologist in many different settings. Therefore, it is important to be aware of this disease and understand the basic implications for anesthetic management. Severe cases often require early referral to specialized centers for advanced hemodynamic monitoring and pharmacological or mechanical circulatory support.Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

28 keywords...

hide…