Peripartum Cardiomyopathy Presenting With Severe Biventricular Dysfunction, Valvular Regurgitation, and Familial...

Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is defined as the onset of left ventricular systolic dysfunction either during pregnancy or up to 5 months after delivery, without any other known cause of heart failure. The exact pathogenesis of this disease is unknown, and its prognosis remains poorly understood. We present a case of a 27-year-old woman presenting at 37 + 3 weeks of gestation, with reduced ejection fraction, biventricular systolic dysfunction and dilation, and valvular regurgitation. She was managed with medications slightly different from guideline-mediated standard therapy. The unique and most crucial detail of this case is that it showed a close family history of PPCM, as the patient's older sister had also died of the same cause. Learning objectives: genetic and familial risk of developing peripartum cardiomyopathy.