Peripartum cardiomyopathy is often discovered during the last few weeks of a pregnancy but may be diagnosed within five months of delivering the baby.

A physician can diagnose the condition during a regular pregnancy check, but sometimes a mother will visit her OB/gyn with unexplained, unusual symptoms such as palpitations, shortness of breath, swollen ankles, persistent fatigue, and increased urination.

In most instances, the first thing a doctor would check would be the lungs, to determine if there is fluid in them. This is usually accomplished by tapping the lung area with the fingers, like playing percussion on a small drum, and listening with a stethoscope. If there are any unusual sounds, such as crackling in the lungs or the heart rhythm is not steady, the doctor checks for swollen neck veins and/or an enlarged liver. The mother’s blood pressure may also drop if she has peripartum cardiomyopathy.

A responsible physician runs various tests to find out what is affecting the heart that may include, but not be limited to: a nuclear heart scan, an ECG, chest x-ray, coronary angiography and chest CT scan. Although this is a serious condition, it is reversible with prompt and appropriate treatment with the right range of drugs.

If your doctor neglected to diagnose peripartum cardiomyopathy, birth injury lawyers Chris Mellino and Tom Robenalt welcome you to contact our Cleveland office for a free consultation. You may also download or request Chris’ free, easy-to-read guide to filing a claim in Ohio.

The medical malpractice attorneys chose the west side location, which sits at the border of Lakewood and Fairview Park, for the convenience of injured clients who may not be able to drive downtown, find parking, and walk a few blocks in rain or snow to confer with their lawyers or sign papers.

In fact, says Mellino, “[Associate Allen Tittle] has a client who stops in two or three times a week just because he’s passing by. Most people don’t like going to a lawyer’s office — they find it intimidating — so it’s good to know people like coming here.”

Mellino attended high school in Fairview and has spent much of his life in Lakewood, and Tom Robenalt lives in Rocky River, so the duo preferred to invest in those communities. They even contracted Burney Builders of Rocky River to strip the once-nondescript building down to its studs and replace the roof, windows, front facade, and parking lot.

Likewise, Libations of Rocky River will serve drinks at the grand opening, and Karen King Catering of Lakewood will make sure no one goes home hungry.

More about Mellino Robenalt LLC

Chris Mellino and Tom Robenalt have represented catastrophically injured clients throughout northeast Ohio for nearly 30 years. U.S. News and World Report has listed the firm as one of the best in the country, and Mellino Robenalt is the only plaintiff law firm in northeast Ohio to be accepted into Primerus, an international society of boutique law firms recognized for its quality of selection. Chris Mellino has been involved in several landmark cases, and both attorneys have achieved multi-million dollar verdicts on behalf of their clients. The firm specializes in medical malpractice such as birth injuries, vegetative state/coma cases, anesthesia mistakes, nerve injury and paralysis, as well as traumatic brain injuries, truck accidents, and wrongful death.