Pulmonary Embolism in Patients Admitted With Peripartum Cardiomyopathy: Prevalence, Predictors, and Associated In-Hospital Adverse Events

Abstract

IntroductionPeripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is defined as an idiopathic left ventricular failure with reduced ejection fraction (EF <45%) that affects women in the last month of pregnancy or in the months after giving birth. The pathophysiology remains elusive, resulting in complications with varied severity; one of the most concerning complications is thromboembolism, specifically pulmonary embolism (PE). The purpose of this study was to characterize and evaluate the real-world prevalence, predictors, and outcomes of PE in PPCM. MethodsThe data were derived from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database from January 2016 to December 2019. The primary outcomes assessed were baseline and hospital admission characteristics and comorbidities for patients with PPCM with or without PE. Outcomes for PPCM patients with PE and predictors of mortality for PPCM were also analyzed. ResultsPE developed in 105 of 4,582 patients with PPCM (2.3%). Patients with PPCM and PE had longer hospital stays (10.86 days ± 1.4 vs. 5.73 ± 0.2 days, p = 0.001