Postpartum cardiac arrest in a woman with an uncorrected sinus venosus type of atrial septal defect: A case report

Abstract

The number of women with congenital heart disease (CHD) surviving to childbearing age is continuously growing. Although most pregnancies in this patient-population are well tolerated, there is a significant risk of potentially fatal complications. We describe a case of a previously completely asymptomatic patient who was diagnosed late during pregnancy with an inferior sinus venosus type atrial septal defect (ISV-ASD) and anomalous connection of all right pulmonary veins (PAPVC) who presented a cardiac arrest with ventricular fibrillation the day after delivery. She recovered completely and underwent subsequent surgical repair and implantation of a subcutaneous defibrillator (S-ICD).

Keywords

• pregnancy
• Congenital heart disease
• Cardiac arrest
• Arrhythmias