Cesarean section of a patient with combined severe mitral and aortic stenosis: a case report

Cardiovascular diseases during pregnancy are rare but account for complications that pose risks to the mother as well as the child. In patients with fixed cardiac output due to stenotic valvular lesion(s), the physiological changes during pregnancy carry high risk of morbidity and mortality.

Our patient was diagnosed with severe mitral and aortic stenosis at her first antenatal visit at 24 weeks of gestation. She was also diagnosed with intrauterine growth restriction and was therefore planned to be operated on at a gestational age of 34 weeks. After careful selection of monitoring and anesthetic regime, the patient was managed without any intraoperative or postoperative complications.

This case reports how the anesthetists, obstetricians, and cardiac surgeons devised a well-designed plan to operate on a patient with a relatively rare disease manifestation. Our patient had coexisting severe stenotic lesions of both mitral and aortic valves and posed a clinical dilemma regarding the choice of anesthesia and perioperative management. Regardless of the anesthetic technique, goals for a patient with the combined valvular disease include maintenance of adequate preload, systemic vascular resistance, cardiac contractility, sinus rhythm and avoidance of tachycardia, bradycardia, aortocaval compression, and anesthetic or surgery-induced hemodynamic changes.

The course of management would give clinicians an idea of how to manage a patient with combined stenotic valvular lesions for cesarean section, ensuring a smooth course and a safe postoperative period.