Karen Sliwa, Denise Hilfiker-Kleiner, Mark C Petrie, Alexandre Mebazaa, Burkert Pieske, Eckhart Buchmann, Vera Regitz-Zagrosek, Maria Schaufelberger, Luigi Tavazzi, Dirk J van Veldhuisen, Hugh Watkins, Ajay J Shah, Petar M Seferovic, Uri Elkayam, Sabine Pankuweit, Zoltan Papp, Frederic Mouquet, John J V McMurray
Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a cause of pregnancy-associated heart failure. It typically develops during the last month of, and up to 6 months after, pregnancy in women without known cardiovascular disease. The present position statement offers a state-of-the-art summary of what is known about risk factors for potential pathophysiological mechanisms, clinical presentation of, and diagnosis and management of PPCM. A high index of suspicion is required for the diagnosis, as shortness of breath and ankle swelling are common in the peripartum period...
August 2010: European Journal of Heart Failure