Medical disorders in pregnancy: peripartum cardiomyopathy: practice question

A OBG question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

Try it

OBG · Medical disorders in pregnancy: peripartum cardiomyopathy

Sample item

A woman presents with breathlessness 3 weeks after delivery. Echocardiography shows an ejection fraction of 30 per cent with no other cause. Which adjunct therapy has been studied specifically in this condition?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

A. Bromocriptine

Peripartum cardiomyopathy presents with heart failure in the last month of pregnancy to 5 months postpartum with an EF below 45 per cent. Standard heart failure treatment is given (avoiding ACE inhibitors in pregnancy), and bromocriptine, which blocks prolactin and its cleaved 16 kDa fragment, may aid recovery. Anticoagulation is considered with a very low EF.

Option by option

  • A. Bromocriptine (correct)

    Correct. Bromocriptine is used as a disease-specific adjunct.

  • B. Amiodarone

    Amiodarone is not disease-specific therapy.

  • C. Levothyroxine

    Levothyroxine does not treat this cardiomyopathy.

  • D. Methotrexate

    Methotrexate has no role.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

More OBG questions

Questions about this OBG question

What is the answer to this OBG question?

The best answer is A, Bromocriptine. Peripartum cardiomyopathy presents with heart failure in the last month of pregnancy to 5 months postpartum with an EF below 45 per cent.

Why is "Amiodarone" not the answer?

Amiodarone is not disease-specific therapy.

Why is "Levothyroxine" not the answer?

Levothyroxine does not treat this cardiomyopathy.

Why is "Methotrexate" not the answer?

Methotrexate has no role.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Medical disorders in pregnancy: peripartum cardiomyopathy in OBG. Standard heart failure treatment is given (avoiding ACE inhibitors in pregnancy), and bromocriptine, which blocks prolactin and its cleaved 16 kDa fragment, may aid recovery. Anticoagulation is considered with a very low EF.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Medical disorders in pregnancy: peripartum cardiomyopathy?

Learn management algorithms as steps: PPH, eclampsia, ectopic pregnancy. Then use the flashcards and the other OBG questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.