Joan Briller

Peripartum heart failure associated with prolonged tocolytic therapy

beta-Adrenergic receptor agonist tocolysis has been reported to cause noncardiogenic pulmonary edema. We report an association between chronic terbutaline therapy and cardiomyopathy in peripartum women. Among 15 gravidas who had peripartum heart failure, 4 had received prolonged terbutaline tocolysis. Although those four patients had completely normalized ventricular function, only 7 of the 11 others recovered. We suggest that gravidas receiving long-term beta-sympathomimetic tocolysis undergo close evaluation of cardiac function.

Outcomes of a Home-Based Walking Program for African-American Women

Purpose. As compared with minimal treatment (MT), to determine the effectiveness of a home-based walking intervention enhanced by behavioral strategies targeted and tailored to African-American women (enhanced treatment [ET]) on adherence, physical activity, fitness, and body composition at 24 and 48 weeks. Design. Using a quasi-experimental design, treatments were randomly assigned to one of two community health centers. Setting. The centers were in predominately African-American communities. Participants. Sedentary women (156 ET, 125 MT) 40 to 65 years were recruited within a 3-mile radius of each center. Intervention. Both treatments had the same orientation. The ET group had four targeted workshops followed by weekly tailored telephone calls over 24 weeks. Methods. Generalized linear mixed models were used to test effects of treatments on adherence, physical activity, aerobic fitness, and body composition. Results. Adherence was significantly higher in the ET than the MT group and was related to the number of workshops attended (r = .58) and tailored calls (r = .25) received. On-treatment analysis showed significant postintervention improvement in waist circumference and fitness in the ET group; however, these improvements were not statistically different between the two groups. Intent to treat analysis showed a significant increase in fitness, decrease in waist circumference, and no change in body mass index in both treatments. Conclusion. Findings suggest the potential impact of workshop group support on adherence in African-American women.

A Walking Program for Outpatients in Psychiatric Rehabilitation: Pilot Study

The purposes of this quasi-experimental pilot study were to determine adherence to a 12-week group-based moderate-intensity walking program for sedentary adult outpatients with serious and persistent mental illness and to examine change from baseline to after the walking program in health status (mental and physical health, mood, and psychosocial functioning) and exercise motivation (exercise outcomes expectancies, exercise decisional balance). The 15 volunteers in this study were aged 21 to 65 years and enrolled in psychosocial rehabilitation; they participated in a 12-week walking program meeting three times per week for 1 hr, supplemented with four health information workshops delivered at the beginning of the study. Participants received individual exercise prescriptions determined by preprogram fitness testing and used heart rate monitors during walking sessions. Thirteen participants (87%) completed the study and attended 76% of the walking sessions. Overall, they walked at lower intensity than prescribed, with pulses within target heart rate ranges 35% of the time during Weeks 1 through 4, 26% of the time during Weeks 5 through 8, and 22% of the time during Weeks 9 through 12. However, mood improved (Profile of Mood States, t = -2.51, two-tailed, df = 12, p = .02), as did psychosocial functioning (Multnomah Community Ability Scale, two-tailed, df = 12, t = 2.49, p = .02). The findings indicate a walking group may be feasible for rehabilitation programs. In addition to the known cardiovascular risk-reduction benefits of regular walking, walking may improve mood and psychosocial functioning in adults with serious and persistent mental illness.

Update on Peripartum Cardiomyopathy

Although multiple mechanisms have been postulated, peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) continues to be a cardiomyopathy of unknown cause. Multiple risk factors exist and the clinical presentation does not allow differentiation among potential causes. Although specific diagnostic criteria exist, PPCM remains a diagnosis of exclusion. Treatment modalities are dictated by the clinical state of the patient, and prognosis is dependent on recovery of function. Randomized controlled trials of novel therapies, such as bromocriptine, are needed to establish better treatment regimens to decrease morbidity and mortality. The creation of an international registry will be an important step to better define and treat PPCM. This article discusses the pathogenesis, risk factors, diagnosis, management, and prognosis of this condition.

The heart truth professional education campaign on women and heart disease: Needs assessment and evaluation results

BACKGROUND Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States. Research has identified that women are less likely than men to receive medical interventions for the prevention and treatment of heart disease. METHODS AND RESULTS As part of a campaign to educate healthcare professionals, 1245 healthcare professionals in 11 states attended a structured 1-hour continuing medical education (CME) program based on the 2004 AHA Evidence-Based Guidelines for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Women and completed a pretest and posttest evaluation. We identified significant knowledge deficits in the pretest: 45% of attendees would initially recommend lifestyle changes alone, rather than statin therapy, for women diagnosed with coronary artery disease (CAD); 38% identified statin therapy as less effective in women compared with men for preventing CAD events; 27% identified Asian American women at low risk (rather than high risk) for type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM); and 21% identified processed meat (rather than baked goods) as the principal dietary source of trans fatty acids. Overall, healthcare professionals answered 5.1 of 8 knowledge questions correctly in the pretest, improving to 6.8 questions in the posttest (p < 0.001). Family physicians, obstetrician/gynecologists, general internists, nurse practitioners/physician assistants, and registered nurses all statistically significantly improved knowledge and self-assessed skills and attitudes as measured by the posttest. CONCLUSIONS Significant knowledge deficits are apparent in a cross-section of healthcare providers attending a CME lecture on women and heart disease. A 1-hour presentation was successful in improving knowledge and self-assessed skills and attitudes among primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and registered nurses.

Kawasaki disease with coronary artery sequelae.

BACKGROUND: Kawasaki disease is an acute febrile illness characterized by mucosal inflammation, skin rash, and cervical lymphadenopathy, with potential for cardiac sequelae, including coronary aneurysms with subsequent thrombosis, infarction, and death. Pregnancy in affected women presents multiple maternal risks. CASE: A woman with Kawasaki disease complicated by coronary aneurysms underwent two consecutive pregnancies without further difficulty. She was maintained on therapeutic enoxaparin, alpha-methyldopa, and labetalol, with labor induction, passive second stage, and continued anticoagulation for 6 weeks postpartum. During gestations she was assessed with echocardiography, electrocardiography, and cardiac event monitor and managed by a maternal–fetal medicine and cardiology team. CONCLUSION: Kawasaki disease with coronary aneurysms presents challenges for obstetric management; obstetricians should be familiar with the disease, implications, and management in pregnancy.

Myocardial Damage Detected by Late Gadolinium Enhancement Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Is Uncommon in Peripartum Cardiomyopathy

Background In peripartum cardiomyopathy, the prevalence of focal myocardial damage detected by late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) cardiovascular magnetic resonance is important to elucidate mechanisms of myocardial injury and cardiac dysfunction. LGE equates irreversible myocardial injury, but LGE prevalence in peripartum cardiomyopathy is uncertain. Methods and Results Among 100 women enrolled within the Investigations of Pregnancy Associated Cardiomyopathy cohort, we recruited 40 women at 13 centers to undergo LGE cardiovascular magnetic resonance, enrolled within the first 13 weeks postpartum. Follow‐up scans occurred at 6 months postpartum, and death/transplant rates at 12 months. Baseline characteristics did not differ significantly in the parent cohort according to cardiovascular magnetic resonance enrollment except for mechanical circulatory support. LGE was noted only in 2 women (5%) at baseline. While left ventricular dysfunction with enlargement was prevalent at baseline cardiovascular magnetic resonance scans (eg, ejection fraction 38% [Q1–Q3 31–50%], end diastolic volume index=108 mL/m2 [Q1–Q3 83–134 mL/m2]), most women demonstrated significant improvements at 6 months, consistent with a low prevalence of LGE. LGE was not related to baseline clinical variables, ejection fraction, New York Heart Association heart failure class, or mortality. Neither of the 2 women who died exhibited LGE. LGE was inversely associated with persistent left ventricular ejection fraction at 6 months (P=0.006). Conclusions Factors other than focal myocardial damage detectable by LGE explain the initial transient depressions in baseline left ventricular ejection fraction, yet focal myocardial damage may contribute to persistent myocardial dysfunction and hinder recovery in a small minority. Most women exhibit favorable changes in ventricular function over 6 months. Clinical Trial Registration URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01085955.

An update on treatments and outcomes in peripartum cardiomyopathy

Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a well-established complication of pregnancy. Criteria include heart failure that presents with reduced left ventricular function, signs and symptoms of heart failure either late in pregnancy or early in the postpartum period. The incidence varies widely depending geography and ethnicity. The pathophysiology of PPCM is still an area of active investigation, but includes immune and inflammatory mechanisms, which are the subject of several investigations. Therapies for chronic heart failure from PPCM are similar to those patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy from different etiologies, however novel therapies may include bromocriptine, pentoxifylline or other potential therapies influencing the immune system. The need for implantable defibrillators, left ventricular assist devices and cardiac transplant in women with PPCM is rare, and prognosis is better than other forms of nonischemic cardiomyopathy. Despite this, further information about the epidemiology, prognosis and potential therapies are required to better manage and diagnose PPCM in women with signs and symptoms of heart failure.

Late presentation of retained intracardiac ice pick with papillary muscle injury

An unusual case of a penetrating intracardiac injury is described in a 16-year-old boy who presented with a retained 14-cm segment of an ice pick that went unnoticed by the patient for 4 days. The ice pick had lacerated the anterior papillary muscle of the left ventricle causing avulsion of its tip and prolapse of the anterior leaflet of the mitral valve resulting in severe mitral regurgitation. The urgency for surgical correction of the traumatic mitral valve injury at the time of extraction of the intracardiac foreign body through a single-stage approach versus a two-stage approach is discussed.

Maternal Cardiovascular Mortality in Illinois, 2002–2011

OBJECTIVE To describe the demographic characteristics of women in Illinois who died from cardiovascular disease during pregnancy or up until 1 year postpartum, addressing specific etiologies, timing of death, proportion of potentially preventable mortality, and factors associated with preventability. METHODS This is a retrospective analysis from the Illinois Department of Public Health Maternal Mortality Review process using International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision codes that attributed cardiovascular disease as the immediate or underlying cause of maternal death in Illinois from 2002 to 2011. We categorized the etiology of cardiovascular mortality, analyzed demographic factors associated with cardiovascular mortality in comparison with noncardiovascular causes, defined the relationship to pregnancy, and identified factors associated with preventability. RESULTS There were 636 deaths in Illinois from 2002 to 2011 of pregnant women or within 1 year postpartum. One hundred forty women (22.2%) died of cardiovascular causes, for a cardiovascular mortality rate of 8.2 (95% confidence interval 6.9-9.6) per 100,000 live births. Women with cardiovascular mortality were likely to be older and die postpartum. The most common etiologies were related to acquired cardiovascular disease (97.1%) as compared with congenital heart disease (2.9%). Cardiomyopathy was the most common etiology (n=39 [27.9%]), followed by stroke (n=32 [22.9%]), hypertensive disorders (n=18 [12.9%]), arrhythmias (n=15 [10.7%]), and coronary disease (n=13 [9.3%]). Nearly 75% of cardiac deaths were related to pregnancy as compared with 35.3% of noncardiac deaths. More than one fourth of cardiac deaths (28.1%) were potentially preventable, attributable primarily to health care provider and patient factors. CONCLUSION From 2002 to 2011, more than one fifth of maternal deaths in Illinois were attributed to cardiovascular disease such as cardiomyopathy. More than one fourth of these deaths were potentially preventable. Health care provider and patient factors were identified, which may be modifiable through education and intensive postpartum monitoring, which may diminish mortality. State maternal mortality reviews can identify opportunities for reducing maternal deaths.