Coronary Disease In Pregnancy: Myocardial Infarction And Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection

Pregnancy-related maternal mortality and morbidity rates continue to increase in the United States despite global improvements in maternal outcomes. The unique hemodynamic and physiological changes of pregnancy results in a 3- to 4-fold increased risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) which causes a substantial proportion of all maternal cardiac deaths. In addition to atherosclerosis, pregnancy-associated AMI is commonly caused by nonatherosclerotic etiologies such as spontaneous coronary artery dissection, embolus to the coronary artery, and coronary vasospasm. Herein, the epidemiology, etiologies, presentation, diagnosis, and management of AMI in pregnancy is discussed along with future directions for multidisciplinary care.