Miocardiopatía periparto: afección subvalorada

Pregnancy is a state that imposes a real challenge for the maternal cardiovascular system. There is a cardiac remodeling, which along with an increase in myocardial mass, in left ventricular size and decreased myocardial contractility aggravated by changes in pregnancy, can condition acute heart failure during the peripartum period. Peripartum cardiomyopathy is when the systolic function of the left ventricle and the symptoms of heart failure occur in the last month of pregnancy and in the five months after delivery with an incidence ranging from 1/1300 to 1/15,000 pregnancies. This paper reports the case of a 26-year-old female patient, who had a history of congenital cataract, with normal pregnancy and eutocic delivery; during the puerperium patient showed dyspnea, hypoperfusion data and pulmonary and cardiac ultrasonographic evaluation of peripartum dilated cardiomyopathy, being transferred at a third level, where despite intensive multidisciplinary treatment, the patient died. Peripartum cardiomyopathy is an undervalued disease that has a high maternal and perinatal mortality; however, a timely detection can improve treatment and prognosis. The purpose of this case report is to demonstrate the importance of early detection of a poorly diagnosed entity, such as peripartum cardiomyopathy.