Editor's Notes
Leighton Terrell received ORCA Travel Grant #200 to present her poster at the Kentucky Association of Nurse Practitioners and Nurse Midwives's 37th Coalition Conference, April 23-25, 2025
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Peripartum cardiomyopathies are a rare, but deadly occurrence among pregnant and postpartum women. Maternal mortality rates have risen over the last few years proving a large problem with the focus on maternal health.
Objective
The objective of this intervention was to aid providers in diagnosing peripartum cardiomyopathies early before detrimental damage could be done to the hearts of these women.
Methods
In this quality improvement project, the need for a peripartum cardiomyopathy risk assessment survey among patients in small, rural area of Western Kentucky was determined.
Results
Using the 22 surveys that were collected, 36.4% of patients were considered high-risk, 22.7% were considered intermediate-risk, and 40.9% were considered low-risk. While the majority were in the low risk category, it was not far behind those who were considered high-risk.
Conclusions
Through surveying patients in a rural facility’s perinatal services unit, it was determined that even in a small area, there is a need for assessing the risk of developing a PPCM.
Implications for Nursing
The creation of an educational pamphlet and a risk assessment tool based on known risk factors of PPCM allowed for the identification of ladies that had the potential to develop a cardiomyopathy related to pregnancy.
Keywords: peripartum cardiomyopathy, pregnancy, heart-failure, post-partum
Recommended Citation
Terrell, Leighton
(2024)
"The Way to a Mother’s Heart: A Risk Assessment Tool for the Early Detection of Peripartum Cardiomyopathies,"
Steeplechase: An ORCA Student Journal: Vol. 8:
Iss.
1, Article 5.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/steeplechase/vol8/iss1/5
Conference Poster