Successful pregnancy with left ventricular assist device failure in the setting of peripartum cardiomyopathy

Aurelio Vargas; Sabiha Armin; Edward Yeomans

doi:10.1080/08998280.2021.1967020

Successful pregnancy with left ventricular assist device failure in the setting of peripartum cardiomyopathy

Proc (Bayl Univ Med Cent). 2021 Sep 1;35(1):98-100. doi: 10.1080/08998280.2021.1967020. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Aurelio Vargas¹, Sabiha Armin¹, Edward Yeomans²

Affiliations

¹ School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas.
² Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas.

Abstract

Pregnancy is contraindicated for women with left ventricular dysfunction due to high maternal and fetal mortality. We present a case of a pregnant 31-year-old woman with a history of heart failure due to peripartum cardiomyopathy from a previous pregnancy. She had a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) and was on warfarin due to recurrent thrombosis of her device. During her course, she had multiple cardiac complications, including thrombosis of the LVAD, which required deactivation. At 32 weeks, a cesarean section was performed due to acute decompensation, and a transthoracic echocardiogram revealed a left ventricular ejection fraction of 30% to 34%, a dilated left ventricle, and moderate global hypokinesis. This case highlights the need for coordinated care from cardiologists and maternal-fetal medicine specialists to minimize symptoms to obtain ideal outcomes for mother and infant despite LVAD deactivation.

Keywords: Congestive heart failure; left ventricular assist device; peripartum cardiomyopathy; pregnancy.

Publication types

Case Reports