Reverse Apical Ballooning Echocardiographic Pattern in Eclampsia-Related Cardiomyopathy

The diagnosis of heart failure during pregnancy has important management implications for the parturient and her fetus. A 19-year-old primigravida developed eclampsia at 29 weeks' gestation. Echocardiography demonstrated normal left ventricular size and ejection fraction of 35% with reverse apical ballooning (reverse takotsubo pattern). Under general anesthesia with invasive monitoring, she underwent urgent cesarean delivery of a preterm infant. Follow-up echocardiography 4 weeks after delivery showed complete normalization of her ejection fraction (56%). This case of eclampsia-related stress-induced cardiomyopathy is a distinct entity from peripartum cardiomyopathy. Using echocardiography, the diagnoses should be differentiated with appropriate management and counseling.
Source: A&A Case Reports - Category: Anesthesiology Tags: Case Reports: Clinical Care Source Type: research