Postpartum maternal collapse—a first-time presentation of severe mitral stenosis: a case report

BACKGROUND: Among cardiac causes for postpartum maternal collapse, severe mitral stenosis is not listed as a potential cause in current literature. We report a rare case of severe mitral stenosis that presented with severe hypoxia and maternal decompensation in early postpartum period for the first time. A 30-year-old para 2, abortus 1, Ethiopian woman developed severe hypoxia and rapid deterioration on her sixth postoperative day after cesarean delivery for fetal bradycardia with a good fetal outcome. She was put on a mechanical ventilator when she developed respiratory failure. Initially, a diagnosis of pulmonary embolus was considered. After admission to the intensive care unit, severe mitral stenosis was diagnosed with the help of echocardiography. She was managed successfully for congestive heart failure and discharged from the intensive care unit with improvement. CONCLUSION: The possibility of mitral stenosis, as a differential diagnosis, should be considered whenever a case of postpartum maternal collapse is encountered. We recommend a routine immediate echocardiography in any patient that experiences postpartum collapse, especially in the presence of a known trigger for heart failure such as long hours of labor, bleeding, anemia, hypotension, and infection.