Introduction
sudden cardiac death, arrhythmias, systolic dysfunction, PPCM
SUDDEN CARDIAC DEATH, PERIPARTUM CARDIOMYOPATHY, HEART DISEASE, DISEASE, ARRHYTHMIAS, HEART FAILURE, SYSTOLIC DYSFUNCTION
Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a pregnancy-associated form of heart failure. The disease is defined as new-onset left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction (i.e., LV ejection fraction [LVEF] ≤ 45% at time of presentation, in the absence of pre-existing heart disease), which occurs towards the end of pregnancy or within five months postpartum [The European Observational Research Programme (EORP), which included 739 women with PPCM from 49 countries, reported a 6-month all-cause mortality of 6%, of which 30% were thought to be related to sudden cardiac death (SCD) [In a study on the usefulness of the wearable cardioverter defibrillator (WCD) in PPCM, Duncker et alThere is currently limited knowledge regarding the screening and management of arrhythmias in women with PPCM. We, therefore, aimed to determine the burden of arrhythmias in PPCM using extended electrocardiographic monitoring beyond the time of diagnosis, not limited to patients with severely impaired LVEF (i.e., LVEF ≤ 35%). We also intended to compare the utility of implantable loop recorder (ILR) plus 24 h-Holter ECG monitoring versus 24 h-Holter ECG monitoring alone for the detection of arrhythmias in PPCM.