Published online Sep 26, 2022. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v10.i27.9821
Peer-review started: April 22, 2022
First decision: June 8, 2022
Revised: June 17, 2022
Accepted: August 21, 2022
Article in press: August 21, 2022
Published online: September 26, 2022
Processing time: 146 Days and 23.8 Hours
Corrected transposition of the great arteries (cTGA) is a cardiac malformation in which the ventricular and arterial-ventricular positions in the heart are doubly reversed. In general, this defect puts a load on the systemic circulation and causes heart failure, resulting in a poor prognosis. This article reports a case of cTGA detected in a patient with post-caesarean pregnancy who had undergone elective caesarean section and was experiencing an episode of acute heart failure.
This was the case of a 36-year-old gravida 3 para 1 woman. No problems were noted in the puerperal course following the previous pregnancy. The current pregnancy was also uneventful. An elective caesarean section was performed and the patient was discharged from the hospital 7 d after the operation. On postoperative day 18, the patient became aware of breathing difficulty and presented at a nearby clinic, where she was referred to our institution after bilateral pleural effusions were detected. She was then diagnosed with acute heart failure after noting the presence of a prominent pedal oedema and SpO2 91% (supine position and room air); the patient was promptly hospitalised for close examination and treatment. Although chest computed tomography revealed the presence of cTGA, no other cardiac malformations were observed. Owing to improvements in both the pedal oedema and pleural effusions, the patient was discharged on day 9.
Close examination should be performed on the premise of congenital cardiac malformation when heart failure symptoms are noted during perinatal control.
Core Tip: Corrected transposition of the great arteries (cTGA) is a rare disorder that accounts for only less than 1% of all congenital heart diseases. Cases with no associated cardiac anomalies are even rarer, accounting for only 5% of all cTGA cases. We reported a case of cTGA that was detected on the occasion of acute heart failure following elective caesarean section carried out on a patient with post-caesarean pregnancy. Close examination should be performed on the premise of congenital cardiac malformation when symptoms of heart failure are noted during perinatal control.