A patient with untreated preeclampsia and peripartum cardiomyopathy

Mara A Prickett1, Christopher M Howell

  • 1Mara A. Prickett is principal faculty in the PA program at Mount St. Joseph University and practices in emergency medicine at Qualified Emergency Specialists Inc., both in Cincinnati, Ohio. Christopher M. Howell is an associate clinical professor and program director at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and practices in emergency, family, and addiction medicine in Ohio and Indiana. The authors have disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise.

The pathophysiologic process of peripartum cardiomyopathy, a rare and potentially life-threatening condition, is not completely understood. One theory is a possible link between the development of preeclampsia and peripartum cardiomyopathy. These two conditions have been linked to significant mortality in peripartum or postpartum patients. Clinicians must be able to identify the two, their differences, and start appropriate therapies immediately.

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