Intravenous immune globulin in the therapy of peripartum cardiomyopathy

OBJECTIVES We sought to evaluate the effect of therapy with intravenous imm une globulin on recovery of left ventricular function in women presenting w ith peripartum cardiomyopathy. BACKGROUND Peripartum cardiomyopathy is a rare complication of pregnancy th at results in significant morbidity and mortality in women of childbearing age. Intravenous immune globulin has been reported to improve left ventricu lar systolic function in patients with acute dilated cardiomyopathy and myo carditis, but its effectiveness in peripartum cardiomyopathy is unknown. METHODS In this retrospective study, we compared the clinical outcomes of s ix women with peripartum cardiomyopathy treated with intravenous immune glo bulin (2 g/kg) with those of 11 recent historical control subjects. All wom en in the study were referred between 1991 and 1998 with class II to IV hea rt failure and a left ventricular ejection fraction of <0.40. Left ventricu lar ejection was reassessed during early follow-up (6.1 +/- 2.9 months). RESULTS The two groups did not differ in terms of baseline left ventricular ejection fraction, left ventricular end-diastolic diameter, months to pres entation, age or multiparity. The improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction in patients treated with immune globulin was significantly greater than in the conventionally treated group (increase of 26 +/- 8 ejection fr action units vs. 13 +/- 13, p = 0.042). CONCLUSIONS In this small retrospective study of women with peripartum card iomyopathy, patients treated with immune globulin had a greater improvement in ejection fraction during early follow-up than patients treated conventi onally. Given the poor prognosis of women with peripartum cardiomyopathy wh o do not improve, this therapy merits further study. (C) 1999 by the Americ an College of Cardiology.