P183 PERIPARTUM CARDIOMYOPATHY: MONOCENTRIC DESCRIPTION AT THE NORTHERN REGIONAL MATERNITY HOSPITAL OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Abstract

Background: Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a pathology in which the woman's heart dilates and displays signs and symptoms of heart failure. It is a rare pathology, with a high mortality rate, and predominance in black patients. Its diagnosis and management are not standardized, nor adapted to low income countries. This leads to barriers in identifying and treating the disease in higher-risk countries such as Haiti, making it a relevant issue in the Dominican Republic due to high immigration of haitians to the country. Therefore we aimed to evaluate the association of risk factors and the pharmacological regimen of patients in a public healthcare center in the Dominican Republic. Methods: An observational, retrospective, cross-sectional study was carried out with convenience sampling. This included patients who had been admitted to the Presidente Estrella Ureña Regional Hospital with suspected PPCM during the last 3 years. Variables studied include: sociodemographic factors, toxic habits, pathological and gynecological-obstetric history, cardiovascular, pulmonary and general signs and symptoms. Results: A sample of 19 patients with a median age of 27 years was obtained, 73.4% of them were black. All of the patients who had illness onset in the peripartum period (first 28 days after labor) presented adverse events, infectious comorbidities and “other comorbidities” while 75% of them presented cardiac and pulmonary comorbidities. Regarding treatment, only 77.8% of patients with antepartum onset received treatment in this period. Additionally, 66.7% of patients with antepartum onset developed adverse events that required oxygen-supplementation, versus only 33% of those without adverse events. Conclusions: It is relevant to design tools for calculating the risk of developing PPCM and standardize its disparate diagnosis and treatment, particularly aimed at countries with limited resources. This aims to improve the prognosis in patients with risk factors such as: black race, age over 30 years and living in low/middle-resource countries.