Amniotic fluid embolism: cause of maternal death

Amniotic fluid embolism is an often-devastatory obstetric syndrome, occurring in 1 in 8000 to in 80000 pregnancies. The syndrome of peripartum cardiovascular collapse and coagulopathy is, from a clinical, hemodynamic, and hematological standpoint similar to anaphylaxis and septic shock and suggests the possibility of common underlying pathophysiologic mechanism. The syndrome appears to be initiated after maternal intravascular exposure to fetal tissue; such exposure may occur during the course of normal labor and delivery. In a small percentage of women such exposure results in the initiation of a complex pathophysiologic chain of events resulting in death in a high percentage of cases. Authors present a 35-year-old G2, P2 women admitted at 40 weeks of gestation for supervision. Suddenly after labor, she presented with dyspnea and hemorrhage, cardiorespiratory arrest. After resuscitation a haemostatic hysterectomy was performed and after this intervention she died.