Peripartum cardiomyopathy and acute fatty liver of pregnancy: one patient with two zebras.

OBJECTIVE: Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) and acute fatty liver of pregnancy (AFLP) are rare complications of pregnancy affecting approximately 1/10,000 pregnancies each. We describe a patient who had biopsy-proven AFLP complicated by PPCM. METHODS: Chart review and literature search. RESULTS: The patient is a 22-year-old G5P1213 obese African-American female who presented at 30 weeks gestation with abdominal pain. She had normal blood pressures and mildly elevated liver enzymes. After completion of a 24 hour urine protein collection that was consistent with pre-eclampsia, an induction of labor with uncomplicated vaginal delivery was accomplished. Following delivery, a computed tomography scan of the abdomen revealed significant cardiomegaly. An echocardiogram revealed global dysfunction with an ejection fraction of 10%. Liver biopsy showed AFLP. Attempts to establish a unifying etiology were unrevealing. The PPCM was treated with diuretics and intravenous immunoglobulin. The patient's clinical status deteriorated, eventually requiring continuous dialysis, intubation, pharmacologic and mechanical inotropic support, and a feeding tube. The patient was discharged to a long-term care facility where she subsequently passed away from multiorgan failure. CONCLUSION: AFLP and PPCM are rare complications of pregnancy. We present a patient who had both. Both diseases carry a high mortality rate, and together, are likely fatal.