Peripartum cardiomyopathy: A systematic review of the literature

Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a rare cause of heart failure. It is defined as cardiomyopathy that develops in the last month of pregnancy or within 5 months of the postpartum period without an identifiable cause. We conducted a systematic review of literature of prospective studies with a focus on echocardiographic and long-term clinical outcomes in PPCM. We searched MEDLINE and Embase up to October 1, 2017. Prospective studies (sample size ≥20) reporting all-cause mortality and follow-up duration of ≥1 year were included. Of the 956 studies identified, 7 met the inclusion criteria. A total of 445 patients with a mean age of 30 years (range, 27-32 years) were included. The mean follow-up duration was 41 months (range, 12-61 months). The majority of patients had New York Heart Association class III or IV symptoms at the time of diagnosis. Only 3 studies reported data on ethnicity where the majority of patients were non-Caucasian. Most of the patients (81%-93%) were on guideline-directed medical therapy, except 1 study (41%). Left ventricular ejection fraction at baseline ranged from 24% to 35% (mean, 28%) and at follow-up from 31% to 53% (mean, 44%). Recovery in systolic function was noted in 20% to 82% (mean, 50%) of patients. All-cause mortality ranged from 0% to 28% (mean, 16%). This systematic review summarizes the evidence to date on the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with PPCM. Multicenter registries with long-term follow-up will help shed further light on characteristics and outcomes of patients with this rare disease.