Predictors of left ventricular recovery in a cohort of peripartum cardiomyopathy patients recruited via the internet.

BACKGROUND: Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is the onset of acute heart failure without demonstrable cause during the last month of pregnancy or within five months after delivery. The purpose of this study was to create a prospective registry of PPCM patients with the assistance of the internet and identify clinical factors predictive of ejection fraction (EF) recovery.

METHODS: Patients with PPCM were identified by novel web-based methods. Subjects were categorized as recovered (EF>50) or nonrecovered (EF<50) and compared on the basis of demographic and clinical variables.

RESULTS: Fifty-five subjects met criteria for inclusion. There was a statistically significant association between diagnosis during third trimester and persistent systolic dysfunction (25% vs. 4.7%, p=0.03). Gestational hypertension and breastfeeding were significantly associated with EF recovery (48.8% vs. 16.7%, p=0.046, and 39.5% vs. 8.3%, p=0.04, respectively). EF normalization occurred in all patients with EF(1) ≥ 35%.

CONCLUSIONS: Presence of gHTN, EF ≥ 35% at diagnosis, breastfeeding, and postpartum diagnosis were all significantly associated with recovery of systolic function. Internet recruitment may be a valuable tool for studying PPCM.