Peripartum cardiomyopathy and cesarean section: report of two cases and literature review.

Introduction: The anesthetic management of labor and delivery in patients with peripartum cardiomyopathy is not well defined. Using continuous spinal anesthesia with bupivacaine or combined spinal epidural anesthesia with ropivacaine in such rare clinical situations has not been previously reported.

Case Report: We present two cases in which parturients with the diagnosis of peripartum cardiomyopathy presented in congestive heart failure for emergent Cesarean section.

Patient-controlled epidural analgesia for labor and delivery in a parturient with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy.

Objective: The anesthetic management of labor and delivery in patients with any form of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) is not well defined. Using patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA), or epidural analgesia, in such a rare clinical situation has not been previously reported.

Case Report: A 32-year-old, gravida 3, para 2, woman with a 2(1/2) year history of CIDP was admitted for labor and delivery at 38 weeks of pregnancy.