ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a commercially available elastic/Velcro lumbar and abdominal support (Mother-To-Be, CMO, Inc., Barberton, Ohio) affects the hemodynamics of the fetus and pregnant woman. STUDY DESIGN: Healthy volunteers with low backache at 24-36 weeks' gestation were sought from our obstetric clinic population. The fetal heart rate (FHR), maternal blood pressure and maternal cardiac output were monitored for 20-minute intervals before, during and after placement of the support while standing and sitting. A sufficient number of subjects was used to detect a difference of 10% in cardiac output. RESULTS: Twenty-five women were enrolled between 24 and 36 weeks' gestation. No significant changes were encountered in the FHR baseline or beat-to-beat variability during placement of the support. The few FHR decelerations were isolated and not attributable to the support. The maternal systolic, diastolic and mean arterial blood pressures were unaffected by the support. The right-sided and left-sided cardiac outputs were unchanged during the monitoring periods. Each woman, when questioned two weeks later, reported improvement in back discomfort while sitting and standing. CONCLUSION: This elastic/Velcro lumbar and abdominal support, available to relieve low backache, did not acutely affect the hemodynamics of the fetus and mother.
Subject(s)
Braces , Low Back Pain/prevention & control , Pregnancy Complications/prevention & control , Adult , Blood Pressure , Cardiac Output , Female , Heart Rate, Fetal , Hemodynamics , Humans , Low Back Pain/etiology , Lumbosacral Region/blood supply , Posture , PregnancyABSTRACT
Myocardial infarction (MI) complicating pregnancy in a renal transplant recipient is described. Management challenges of MI in pregnancy and the possible predisposing roles of renal transplantation and erythropoietin (EPO) use are discussed.
Subject(s)
Erythropoietin/adverse effects , Kidney Transplantation , Myocardial Infarction/diagnosis , Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular , Adult , Coronary Angiography , Electrocardiography , Female , Humans , Myocardial Infarction/etiology , Myocardial Infarction/pathology , Pregnancy , Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular/etiologyABSTRACT
An elderly man with pulmonary vein varix and atrial fibrillation is described. The diagnosis of pulmonary varix, a localized dilatation of pulmonary vein, was made by transesophageal echocardiography. The patient had chronic atrial fibrillation, and transesophageal echocardiography demonstrated thrombus in the pulmonary varix. In patients with atrial fibrillation, pulmonary varix may be an unusual site for thrombus formation.
