Pregnancy-related allograft rejection following heart transplant

Abstract

Current recommendations do not discourage pregnancy in stable, orthotopic heart transplant (OHT) recipients who are more than 1 year posttransplant, although a highly specialized level of care with a multidisciplinary team is recommended. These patients may incur significant risk to themselves, their allograft, and/or their fetuses. Recognition and treatment of posttransplant complications in pregnancy also may be difficult. Although the risk of recurrent pregnancies in patients with peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is well defined, the risk of pregnancy after a PPCM patient has undergone OHT is unknown. A case of severe allograft rejection in a woman with a history of PPCM who became pregnant nearly 3 years after OHT is presented and her subsequent management is described. The data available on pregnancy after transplant are based on case reports, registry data, and reviews. The decision to become pregnant should be preceded by an extensive discussion including the patient, her partner, her obstetrician, and the transplant team, reviewing potential risks to her health as well as to her allograft and the fetus. Providers should be clear that many questions pertaining to pregnancy after transplant remain unanswered, and the patient should be comfortable going forward in this situation.