OBJECTIVE:

To analyze the changes in cardiac structure and function assessed by echocardiography in patients with pre-eclampsia.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Observational, analytical, prospective and longitudinal study carried out in patients with pre-eclampsia attending the Hospital de Especialidades 2 Lic. Luis Donaldo Colosio Murrieta, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, between September and December 2021. Participants were selected non-probabilistically through consecutive case series. To describe the changes, echocardiograms were performed in the immediate postpartum period, one month and three months later. Descriptive statistics and inferential analysis, Pearson&apos;s χ2 and t Student were used to assess differences. A value of p < 0.05 was considered significant.

RESULTS:

Forty-three patients with pregnancies complicated by pre-eclampsia were studied. All had a diagnosis of pre-eclampsia with severity data. The median gestational age at diagnosis was 36 (RIQ 6) and 37 (RIQ 5) weeks. Early onset pre-eclampsia was classified in 17 patients. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure were 160 (RIQ 10) and 102 mmHg (RIQ 15), respectively. Only 9 patients received antihypertensive treatment during pregnancy.

CONCLUSION:

There were changes in cardiac structure and function assessed by electrocardiogram during the puerperium, characterized by decreased global longitudinal myocardial deformation, increased left ventricular end-diastolic volume and indexed left ventricular end-systolic volume, and altered ventricular geometry. These changes persisted at follow-up one month postpartum and reversed at three months postpartum.