cardiomyopathy and pregnancy

[jj7]

I am a 38 year old female with heart problems. Last year I was misdiagnosed with bronchitis when I actually had an viral infection that invaded my whole heart. I have had all four valves replaced. I also was left with severe cardiomyopathy. I suffer from chronic heart failure since then and am hospitalized frequently. I am currently five months pregnant, and was encouraged to not have the baby, but I chose not to terminate. Right now I am hospitalized and am not doing too well. My heart rate is fluctuating between 150 to 190. The nurses are in here since mid week listening to my heart like every fifteen minutes. I also have a low grade fever for the past couple days. They want to give me a pacemaker. Why are the nurses listening to my heart so much and I feel like they should hurry up and put the pacemaker in sooner. My ejection fraction I heard the cadiologist tell my husband is 8. How do you suggest they treat my condition and what is happening to me. I feel like I am going to be on a transplant list soon. Please answer my reply.

[buckeyes82]

I will pray for you.  I was near death with CHF, and an ejection fraction of 10. I'm convinced prayer (mostly others) pulled me through it.  God bless you.

[Cleveland Clinic]

As they said this pregnancy is very risky in your case, and may cause some  untoward side effects and even death. I am not sure why your heart rate is in the high 100s, but it may mean that you in fact have an infection. have recurrence of the inflammatory cardiomyopathy, or have a blood clot. Management of a patient such as yourself, with pregnancy and possibly active infection is the setting of severe cardiomyopathy is very difficult even at an institution such as ours. I am not sure why you need a pacemaker, and what the urgency in placing one are, so I can't comment.
Your case requires careful review of all available data, including prior tests and biopsies. It is very difficult for me to comment on this very complicated case without having all of this available data.