Acute heart failure after Caesaerean section: peri-partum or tako-tsubo cardiomiopathy?

Abstract

A young woman undergoes Caesarean section at the 39th week of pregnancy: shortly after she develops acute cardiorespiratory failure. The electrocardiography shows sinus tachycardia and right bundle branch block. The ventriculography confirms the decrease of the pump function and the mid-ventricular ballooning of the left ventricle; the differential diagnosis is between peri-partum cardiomyopathy and stress induced tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy: the sudden onset, the results of the ventriculography and the complete recovery after 11 days of treatment for acute heart failure led the diagnosis towards tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy.

Keywords

• Tako-tsubo syndrome
• Stress-induced cardiomyopathy
• Peri-partum cardiomyopathy
• Acute heart failure