# Incessant ventricular tachycardia complicating heart failure in pregnancy

## TL;DR

A woman with heart failure and ventricular tachycardia during pregnancy was successfully managed with multidisciplinary care.

## Contribution

This case highlights the management of complex heart failure and arrhythmia in pregnancy in a resource-limited setting.

## Key findings

- A 31-year-old woman presented with acute heart failure and ventricular tachycardia at 33 weeks gestation.
- Multidisciplinary management led to successful cardioversion and positive maternal and fetal outcomes.
- The patient had a prior history of peripartum cardiomyopathy, complicating her current pregnancy.

## Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases in pregnancy increase the risk of adverse maternal and foetal outcomes. Diagnosis and management of cardiovascular diseases, such as arrhythmias and heart failure in pregnancy, in resource-limited settings, is, however, challenging. We present a 31-year-old multiparous woman whose index presentation was for worsening symptoms of acute heart failure at 33 weeks of gestation. She had, however, had a prior history of breathlessness in a previous pregnancy for which she was diagnosed with peripartum cardiomyopathy. During this index clinical presentation, she was found to have dilated cardiac chambers with severe left ventricular systolic dysfunction and monomorphic ventricular tachycardia. Multidisciplinary team management resulted in successful cardioversion and satisfactory maternal and foetal outcomes.

None declared