Our clinic sees a fair number of young women with symptoms of heart failure that develop during or shortly after pregnancy. These women presumably suffer from peripartum cardiomyopathy, however, decompensation of undiagnosed heart failure may cause their symptoms. Selene is one such patient. She is a 34 year old woman who presented to Centre Sante de la Grace du Bon Samaratain in late January with edema involving her whole body and shortness of breath. Her oxygen and blood pressure were both low. Her oxygen was likely low due to pulmonary edema or fluid in her lungs. She had a still birth in late 2024, but she was unable to provide any details of that pregnancy. Her symptoms started soon after she delivered her baby.

She was hospitalized in Mirebalais for 17 days. She was discharged to her home in the mountains and she went to several follow up appointments but then was unable to make it back to the hospital for additional follow up for unclear reasons. She lives many hours from Mirebalais and likely did not have the money for transportation.

Selene was started on supplemental oxygen and medications for heart failure. She gradually lost most of the edema over the next 3 weeks and was weaned off of oxygen. She lost a total 17.5 kg or 38.5 pounds of water weight. I am sure you can imagine how much better she felt. She came back for follow up last month and some of the swelling had come back. She stayed at clinic for several days and we adjusted her medications and the edema improved.

Most women with peripartum cardiomyopathy will fully recover, but they need treatment for the heart failure until the cardiomyopathy has resolved. We are grateful for the ability we have to help women like Selene. We are able to provide supplemental oxygen, medications to improve heart failure symptoms, equipment to monitor her vital signs and nurses to provide care 24 hours a day. The donations of many helped to save Selene’s life.