Abstract
A 37-year-old woman with pregnancy-induced hypertension at 33 weeks of gestation developed severe symptoms of heart failure and was admitted to our hospital. The patient was diagnosed with peripartum cardiomyopathy by echocardiography, which showed severe left ventricular systolic dysfunction (ejection fraction, 29.7%). An emergency cesarean section was performed under general anesthesia. She was managed in an intensive care unit perioperatively. She was extubated successfully the day after the operation. She was given bromocriptine, and left ventricular contractility improved after a month. Early diagnosis and effective treatment reduces the mortality rate and improves the prognosis of peripartum cardiomyopathy. We conclude that anesthesiologists play an important role in perioperative management of peripartum cardiomyopathy.
