Asymptomatic Postpartum Bradycardia: A Case of Spontaneous Resolution in a 34-Year-Old Woman

Nurliana Abd Nassir1, Huzairi Sani2, Mohd Hafidzudin Zainal Abidin3

  • 1Department of Primary Care Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia.

BACKGROUND Maternal bradycardia in the postpartum period, without evidence of heart failure, is rare and usually self-limiting. Maternal bradycardia lasts a few days at most, but requires clinical observation and investigations to exclude cardiac disease or the effects of vasoactive medications or anesthesia. This report describes the case of a 34-year-old woman with self-limiting postpartum bradycardia as an incidental finding at a routine day 15 postnatal check-up. CASE REPORT A 34-year-old woman, para 2, presented for her routine day 15 postnatal check-up following an uneventful vaginal delivery. She was asymptomatic but was noted to have bradycardia, with a heart rate of 50 beats per min, confirmed by electrocardiogram as sinus bradycardia. Investigations, including blood tests, 24-h Holter monitoring, and echocardiography, ruled out structural heart disease or other pathologies. She was treated conservatively, and her heart rate normalized spontaneously by 6 weeks postpartum. CONCLUSIONS This report highlights the condition of postpartum maternal bradycardia and shows the importance of clinical history, thorough investigations, and follow-up to guide appropriate management and avoid unnecessary interventions.

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