Anaesthetic management of acute myocardial infarction during labour

Coronary artery disease is rarely detected during labour and the puerperium. We report the case of a 31 year-old primigravida at 38 weeks of gestation with hypercholesterolaemia and a family history of coronary heart disease, who presented with septal acute myocardial infarction. We decided to perform a caesarean section under general anaesthesia. The patient was later admitted to the intensive care unit. There were no complications during or after surgery. Cardiac ultrasound showed septal hypokinesia with normal systolic function and coronary angiography revealed normal coronary vessels. She remained haemodynamically stable and was discharged from intensive care 48 h later. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.