Although an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in women of childbearing age is rare, consequences are considerable, especially in pregnant women. In this chapter we will give an overview of the current literature regarding pregnancy and ACS. Acute coronary syndrome prior to pregnancy, acute coronary syndrome in the antepartum, peripartum and post partum period and heart failure during pregnancy will...

Encephalitis by Herpes Simplex virus type-2 in adults is rare and has been described as part of a disseminated infection in settings of immunosuppression, pregnancy being one of them. The virus was isolated from CSF of a young female, who during puerperium, presented with hepatitis, encephalitis and subsequently developed persistent vegetative state. Case history of another woman at term pregna...

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is a rare cause of acute coronary syndrome occurring predominantly in young women without any cardiovascular risk factors, especially during the peripartum and early postpartum period. Here, we report a case of a 28-year-old pregnant woman who was found to have an isolated distal SCAD of the left anterior descending artery (LAD). Coronary angiograph...

In this review, we shall consider the oral and intravenous fluid management of pregnant women during labour and operative delivery in the context of neuroaxial blockade. We shall also discuss the use of blood transfusion in the peripartum period, especially during postpartum haemorrhage. Current management of military casualties and major civilian trauma challenges traditional practices of bloo...

Clinical Question: A 32-year-old woman with active pemphigus vulgaris (PV) who planned to conceive in the near future presented to our dermatology clinic to discuss pharmacologic management of her PV. At that time, she had stable but persistent oral disease while prescribed a regimen of prednisone, 7.5 mg/d; dapsone, 50 mg twice daily; and methotrexate, 25 mg/wk. The objective of this article i...

Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a rare but potentially lethal complication of pregnancy occurring in approximately 1in 3000 live births in the United States although some series report a much higher incidence. African-American women are particularly at risk. Diagnosis requires symptoms of heart failure in the last month of pregnancy or within five months of delivery in the absence of recogn...

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) during pregnancy and puerperium is very rare. With a growing number of older women giving birth, AMI may become more common complication of pregnancy. We present a 42-year-old multipara with coagulation disorders in pregnancy who suffered from AMI in the peripartum period, documented by ECG, cardiac markers and echocardiography, with normal coronary arteries on...

BACKGROUND Haptoglobin and serum amyloid A are major acute phase proteins in cattle. Dairy cattle often develop pathologic conditions in the peripartum period; acute phase proteins may be useful in their diagnosis. OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to compare the accuracy of serum haptoglobin (Hp) and serum amyloid A (SAA) concentrations with clinical health status for diagnosing disea...

OBJECTIVES To review the cases receiving peripartum hysterectomies treated in this hospital during the period 1967-1995. Clinical characteristics, indications, and results were more closely analyzed. STUDY DESIGN A chart review of all cases operated since January 1967 to December 1995 was done. Demographic and clinical data were extracted, coded, and entered into a computer file for analysis....

Peripartum cardiomyopathy remains a rare but troubling complication of pregnancy. The cardiovascular stress of labour and delivery may lead to cardiac decompensation. These patients require special anaesthetic care during labour and delivery. Compensated patients may undergo vaginal delivery with appropriate monitoring. For those patients late in pregnancy with more significant haemodynamic com...