Cardiovascular Emergencies in Pregnancy

Cardiovascular disease has overtaken all other causes of maternal death in the United States. The physiologic changes of pregnancy place a significant amount of stress on the cardiovascular system and put pregnant women at risk for potentially catastrophic complications, such as pulmonary embolism, aortic or coronary artery dissection, myocardial infarction, and peripartum cardiomyopathy. The diagnosis of these conditions is challenging because the symptoms can mimic those experienced in normal pregnancies. There are subtle differences in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular emergencies in pregnant patients that clinicians must be aware of; however, the overall management goals are similar.