Women at Highest Risk for Heart Failure Weeks After Labour

A study in the U.S. that analysed more than 50 million pregnancy-related hospitalisations from 2001 to 2011, has found that women are at the highest risk for heart failure within six weeks after delivery, known as the postpartum period.

Nearly 60% of pregnancy-related heart failure hospitalisations took place during this period. The results also suggest that heart failure is a significant clinical problem among relatively young reproductive-age women, especially among women with the presence of an additional disease or condition, such as hypertension. Hence, it is recommended that at-risk mothers are closely monitored postpartum, ideally from a multidisciplinary team that includes heart failure specialists. Doing so will lead to better outcomes and fewer readmission rates.