WOMENS-HEALTH Messages for August, 1999: Re: pregnancy with maternal heart arrythmias

Re: pregnancy with maternal heart arrythmias

From: anonymous@obgyn.net
Mon, 2 Aug 1999 13:14:36 -0500 (CDT)

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At Sat, 31 Jul 1999, amy wrote: >
>my sister-in-law is 12 weeks pregnant and has been experiencing
>uncomfortable feelings in her chest accompanied by tachycardia. she has
>seen a cardiologist and worn a holter monitor for 48h. she just found
>out she has been having pvc's and pac's. her obgyn put her on
>lopressor.she is uncomfortable taking this medication while she is
>pregnant. i am a rn working in labor and delivery and have not come
>across this type of situation. she is concerned and has many unanswered
>questions. what are the causes? are there any risks to the fetus? why
>lopressor if it is an antihypertensive? is there anything she can do to
>help without meds? if anyone can give me some answers for her i would
>greatly appreciate it. thank you.

For some reason, pregnancy seems to exacerbate cardiac arrhythmias in many women. This is usually not that big a deal, but when a woman begins to have lots of Premature VEntricular Contractions (PVC), there is a small to medium risk of heart failure, even myocardial infarction or sudden cardiac death. Lopressor is a type of drug known as a Beta-blocker, and while it is sometimes used as an anti-hypertensive medication, it is also commonly used for the treatment of arrhymias. It is known to be very safe in pregnancy. She should avoid caffiene, chocolate, and anything else that might stimulate her problem (many meds can affect this). Remember, there can be nothing more catastrophic for a fetus than to have its mother's heart stop beating. If she is having lots of PVC's, then the benefits far outweigh the risks.

--
William D. McIntosh, MD

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