Summary

We report a pregnant woman who was monitored by echocardiography and determination of blood variables, including components of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS), cardiac biomarkers and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1), during and after the development of Ballantyne syndrome. Generalised maternal oedema with dyspnoea following fetal and placental hydrops necessitated a caesarean section at 33 weeks of gestation. Changes in blood variables and simultaneous echocardiography changes indicated acutely enhanced RAAS and hyperdynamic left ventricular function in response to excessive volume overload (as evidenced by brain-type natriuretic peptide level of 523 pg/mL) in the absence of increased systemic vascular resistance. Elevated sFlt-1 (15 600 pg/mL) and human chorionic gonadotrophin (404 000 IU/L) levels were also noted. The increased plasma aldosterone concentration (2070 pg/mL) may have been responsible for the increase in circulating plasma volume, and the increased sFlt-1 level was responsible for generalised maternal oedema. It remains unclear which factor(s) triggered RAAS activation.