Lesson of the Week: The risks of delay in diagnosis of breathlessness in pregnancy

Prognostic factors of rheumatic mitral stenosis during pregnancy and puerperium

“…However, like in the present study, usually women with mitral stenosis are referred for cardiological follow-up only after the beginning of pregnancy. Facing these facts and the low incidence of complications observed when the balloon mitral valvulotomy technique is used during pregnancy [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] , this procedure should be seriously considered for the treatment of pregnant women with mitral stenosis and a greatly reduced mitral valve area, independently of their functional class, particularly if we take into account that acute lung edema can be the first clinical manifestation of mitral stenosis during pregnancy 10,11 . Unfortunately, we did not have the opportunity to eva- luate the influence of important covariables on the associations investigated in this study.…”

“…Patients with mitral stenosis are found to have frequently overt manifestations of heart failure during pregnancy [6][7][8][9] . Even acute lung edema can occur during this period as an initial manifestation of mitral stenosis 10,11 . As a consequence of the heart complications, in these patients with mitral stenosis the mortality rates are higher than those found in healthy pregnant women.…”

Three Cases of Peripartum Cardiomyopathy

“…Although dyspnoea is the commonest presenting symptom, the patient may present with other non-specific symptoms. 1 Therefore, PPCM is a diagnostic challenge to the emergency physician.…”

(beta) Blockers have important role in pulmonary oedema due to mitral stenosis

“…EDITOR,—I read with interest C A Morley and B A Lim's Lesson of the Week about previously undiagnosed mitral valve disease causing abrupt deterioration in pregnancy 1. Colleagues and I have had similar experience of young Asian women with pulmonary oedema due to mitral stenosis.…”