Clinical InvestigationCongestive Heart FailureImproved outcomes in peripartum cardiomyopathy with contemporary
Section snippets
Methods
All patients with PPCM at Duke University Medical Center between January 1990 and December 2003 were identified by reviewing the echocardiography database and the records from the congestive heart failure clinics. Clinical and demographical data (including age, number of pregnancies, medical history, medical therapy, and EF) were collected by review of medical records. Patients were also contacted by telephone to update their current clinical status.
To be eligible for the study, patients had to
Results
Fifty-five patients with PPCM were identified and followed up for 43 ± 43 months. Baseline characteristics are shown in Table I. The mean age was 29 ± 6 years. Fifty-one percent of the patients were African American, and 39% were white. Half of the patients underwent cesarean section, usually because of a history of eclampsia or preeclampsia (46%). A history of hypertension was found in 56%, and 39% had a history of tobacco abuse. The baseline EF was 20.5 %, and 17% had a LV thrombus on their
Discussion
This is the largest study to date describing a population of women with PPCM and the first to describe outcomes in the contemporary era of heart failure therapy. Similar to 2 previous studies, this study demonstrates that on proper medical therapy, the current clinical outcome of PPCM is better than previously described.5, 14 There were no deaths over an average of 43 months, and only 10% required heart transplantation. The lack of deaths was, in part, due to the use of LV assist devices to
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