ijcmcr International Journal of Clinical & Medical Case Reports 2834-250X International Journal of Clinical & Medical Case Reports Case report Maternal Cardiopulmonary Failure in Rheumatic Heart Disease: Gaps in Cardio-Obstetric Care in Resource-Limited Settings Owolabi Temiloluwa Dorcas Windsor University School of Medicine, Saint Kitts and Nevis; University of Houston College of Engineering, USA Salim Huldah Nyansarora Windsor University School of Medicine, Saint Kitts and Nevis; University of Houston College of Engineering, USA 27 04 2026 7 3 02042026 21042026 © 2026 The Author(s). Published by International Journal of Clinical & Medical Case Reports. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0).

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) continues to be a major cause of maternal death in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where access to preconception counseling and coordinated cardio-obstetric care is often limited. We describe the case of a 35-year-old woman with a known history of RHD who stopped cardiac follow-up after becoming pregnant. She presented in her second trimester with worsening breathlessness and was found to have advanced valvular disease and pulmonary hypertension. Despite multidisciplinary support and medical management, her condition deteriorated. She experienced intrauterine fetal demise and later died from progressive cardiopulmonary failure. This case highlights the critical role of early risk assessment, structured care, and system-wide support in improving outcomes for high-risk pregnancies in resource-limited settings.

Pregnancy Rheumatic Heart Disease Low- And Middle-Income Countries Cardio-Obstetric Preconception Counseling