OBJECTIVE An outbreak of 20 peripartum Clostridium difficile infections (CDI) occurred on the obstetrical service at the University of Washington Medical Center (UWMC) between April 2006 and June 2007. In this report, we characterize the clinical manifestations, describe interventions that appeared to reduce CDI, and determine potential risk factors for peripartum CDI. METHODS An investigatio...

BACKGROUND Although many individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience depression, there are no studies on the frequency and effect of peripartum depression among parents with MS. OBJECTIVE To examine the frequency of peripartum depression in individuals with MS and its potential association with children's psychiatric disorders. METHODS We conducted a cohort study in British Columbia...

OBJECTIVES We sought to evaluate the effect of therapy with intravenous immune globulin on recovery of left ventricular function in women presenting with peripartum cardiomyopathy. BACKGROUND Peripartum cardiomyopathy is a rare complication of pregnancy that results in significant morbidity and mortality in women of childbearing age. Intravenous immune globulin has been reported to improve le...

Sheehan’s syndrome is a well-known cause of panhypopituitarism following ischemic damage to the pituitary gland or stalk during peripartum period. Degree of hypopituitarism in Sheehan’s syndrome can vary and due to the slow evolution, the diagnosis can be delayed. Here we report a case presented to us with hyponatremia, 2 years after her complicated delivery, which highlights the importance of ...

Rupture of the thoracic aorta is a rare but recognized complication following pregnancy. The common causes of thoracic aortic rupture in the peripartum period are trauma, dissecting aneurysms and saccular aneurysms secondary to systemic connective tissue disease. We report a case of non-traumatic spontaneous aortic rupture in a patient without trauma or systemic connective tissue disease 1 day ...

Chyloptysis is a relatively rare embodiment of disease that encompasses a lengthy differential and provides many diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Presented here is the case of a young woman with massive chyloptysis due to a thoracic cavernous lymphangioma arising in the peripartum period. The severity of her condition mandated the use of cardiopulmonary bypass to resect her lymphangioma. ...

Lymphocytic hypophysitis commonly occurs in females in peripartum period but several unusual presentations have been reported. Here we report a rare case of recurrent lymphocytic hypophysitis in a woman who had subtotal adrenalectomy for hypercortisolism 27 years back. Polyglandular autoimmune endocrinopathy with an uncommon combination of Cushing's syndrome and recurrent hypophysitis is a stro...

There is significant morbidity and mortality associated with the transmission of herpes simplex virus (HSV) from pregnant women to their fetus or newborn. Although most commonly transmitted in the peripartum period, in rare cases HSV can lead to intrauterine infection. Cutaneous lesions are the most common manifestation of intrauterine HSV, and have a wide spectrum of presentation. We present a...

To evaluate effects of different dry period lengths on milk yield, milk composition, and energy balance of dairy cows, 122 multiparous and primiparous Holstein dairy cows were used in a completely randomized experimental design with 56-, 42-, and 35-d dry period lengths. Actual dry period lengths for respective treatments (TRT) were 56 +/- 5.1 d, 42 +/- 2.1 d, and 35 +/- 2.7 d. Overall, cows in...