Natural course of subsequent pregnancy after peripartum cardiomyopathy

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of subsequent pregnancy after peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) on maternal and fetal outcome. METHODS: Prospective study of 34 patients with the diagnosis of PPCM (mean age= 26years). At the time of first diagnosis 5 were in NYHA functional class (FC) II for heart failure, one in FC III and 28 in FC IV. After clinical treatment, patients were advised to avoid new pregnancies and a follow-up was obtained. RESULTS: There were 12 (35.3%) subsequent pregnancies in patients (pt) aged 19 to 44 years (mean 32), divided into two groups: GI: 6 pts who had normalized their heart size and GII: 6 pts with persistent cardiomegaly. GI had initially mild clinical manifestations ( 3 were in FC II, 1 in FC II and 2 in FC IV) and complete recovery of cardiac function (FC I). A new pregnancy was well-tolerated in 5 (83.3%); 1 pt presented with preeclampsia, and progressed to FC II. Presently, 5 pt are in FC I and 1 in FC II. GII pts had more severe heart failure at the onset of PPCM (1 pt in FC II and 5 in FC IV); during follow-up, 4 pt were in FC I and 2 in FC II. A new pregnancy was well tolerated in all of them, but the eldest, who had had 2 pregnancies and had a progressive worsening of clinical status, dying 8 years after the last pregnancy and 13 years after the diagnosis of PPCM. The remaining 5 pt are still alive, 3 in FC I and 2 in FC II, with worsening of FC in 1. Subsequent pregnancies occurred 3-7 years after clinical treatment of PPCM and no fetal distress was observed. CONCLUSION: Subsequent pregnancies are well-tolerated after PPCM, but not devoid of risk. No fetal distress was observed. A minimum interval of 3 years after the recovery of function seems to be safe for subsequent pregnancies

O eletrocardiograma de alta resolução no domínio da freqüência. Utilização de técnicas estatísticas de correlação espectral para identificação de pacientes com taquicardia ventricular monomórfica sustentada

OBJETIVO: Avaliar uma melhoria da acurácia diagnóstica da taquicardia ventricular monomórfica (TVM), através do eletrocardiograma de alta resolução (ECGAR), adicionando à análise no domínio do tempo (DT), técnicas estatísticas de correlação espectral no domínio da freqüência (DF). MÉTODOS: Foram estudados pelo ECGAR 137 indivíduos sendo 27 com cardiopatia e TVM sustentada, 30 com cardiopatia e sem TVM e 80 sem evidências de cardiopatia. Os parâmetros analisados no ECGAR no DT foram: duração do QRS filtrado, RMS40 e LAS40 e, no DF, as médias e os devios padrões da correlação espectral intersegmentar do sinal e da banda de freqüência delimitadora da concentração do sinal. RESULTADOS: A sensibilidade (Sb) e o valor preditivo positivo (VPP) do ECGAR no DT, DF e análise combinada de ambos os domínios foram, na detecção de TVM, respectivamente: Sb = 59,3%, 63% e 81,5% e VPP = 80,0%, 81,0% e 84,6%. CONCLUSÃO: A análise combinada do ECGAR nos DT e DF aumenta a acurácia diagnóstica de pacientes com apresentação clínica de TVM sustentada