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Diagnosed With Cardiomegaly. Suggested For Heart Transplant. Pregnant. What Are The Risks Of Carrying Baby?
Someone I know was diagnosed with Cardiomegaly . She is very tight lipped about it except to say that she requires a heart transplant and is waiting for a donor. She is 19 and just learned that she is pregnant. I ve researched the web to see how her pregnancy could imact her, but cannot find anything on this topic except situations where women experience mild cases of Cardiomegaly due to their pregnancy. Her case is different where she s already been diagnosed with it prior to becoming pregnant and she has been hospitalized for several symtoms caused by it. Can you tell me if the the chances of carrying the baby to full-term would be life threatening for her?
Fri, 19 Jul 2013
Dear patient,
Indeed, she will probably be considered a high risk pregnancy; most of the medications that we use to control patients with heart failure and cardiomegaly are not able to be used during pregnancy; furthermore, pregnancy is associated with a natural increase in total body fluid, which is precisely what you want to avoid in patients with cardiomyopathy. This amount of volume progresses as the pregnancy does. If she decides to continue pregnancy, she will need specialized care.
Yours truly,
Dr Brenes-Salazar MD
Cardiology
Mayo Clinic MN
Indeed, she will probably be considered a high risk pregnancy; most of the medications that we use to control patients with heart failure and cardiomegaly are not able to be used during pregnancy; furthermore, pregnancy is associated with a natural increase in total body fluid, which is precisely what you want to avoid in patients with cardiomyopathy. This amount of volume progresses as the pregnancy does. If she decides to continue pregnancy, she will need specialized care.
Yours truly,
Dr Brenes-Salazar MD
Cardiology
Mayo Clinic MN
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