Heart failure due to peripartum cardiomyopathy presenting in the first week of puerperium-A case series from Nepal.

Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a rare cause of heart failure associated with pregnancy without any other known cause. Most of the clinical presentation is similar to symptoms of advanced pregnancy making the diagnosis difficult. Reported are three patients who developed dyspnea, orthopnea, and dry cough during the first week of puerperium. On examination, bilateral lower limb edema and bilateral basal lung crepitation were present in all patients. Chest radiograph showed pulmonary edema in cases two and three, and pleural effusion in case one. All patients had reduced left ventricular ejection fraction and raised N-terminal pro-b-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels. Case two developed PPCM in the background of left pyelonephritis. Case three was complicated by acute kidney injury. All patients were managed with bromocriptine, diuretics, beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors, and fluid restriction. Hence, PPCM though rare should be considered as a differential in women presenting with features of heart failure in later months of pregnancy or within 5 months of delivery.