Severe Heart Failure After Fetal Loss and COVID-19: A Diagnostically Challenging Case With Complicated Timing

Roy Lim Jr; Rachel R Johnson; Brian Denney; Lina Zalikha

doi:10.7759/cureus.36866

Severe Heart Failure After Fetal Loss and COVID-19: A Diagnostically Challenging Case With Complicated Timing

Cureus. 2023 Mar 29;15(3):e36866. doi: 10.7759/cureus.36866. eCollection 2023 Mar.

Authors

Roy Lim Jr¹, Rachel R Johnson², Brian Denney³, Lina Zalikha⁴

Affiliations

¹ Internal Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, Chicago, USA.
² General Medicine, American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine, Cupecoy, SXM.
³ General Medicine, Cebu Velez General Hospital, Cebu City, PHL.
⁴ General Medicine, Ross University School of Medicine, Two Mile Hill, BRB.

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), initially recognized to cause respiratory system complications, has been found to also affect the cardiovascular system leading to myocardial damage and subsequently causing heart failure. Peripartum cardiomyopathy, though an uncommon condition, may also manifest as heart failure toward the end of pregnancy. This atypical case highlights the potential diagnostic overlap between COVID-19 heart failure and peripartum cardiomyopathy. At this point, there is no recommended algorithm used to distinguish one disease from another.

Keywords: coronavirus disease 2019; covid-19; ejection fraction; heart failure; heart failure patients; heart failure with reduced ejection fraction; peripartum cardiomyopathy; peripartum dilated cardiomyopathy; ppcm.

Publication types

Case Reports