Amniotic fluid embolism: A rare cause of maternal collapse—A case report

Abstract

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Acute Pulmonary Embolism by Amniotic Fluid – A Rare Complication of Perinatal Period That Should Not Be Forgotten

“…However, the research also shows that less than a half of women with AFE confirmed, presented them all [12]. Therefore, the diagnosis can only be made by excluding other possibilities [5,10].…”

“…AFE is a rare but potentially catastrophic complication of perinatal period. It may occur during pregnancy, medical procedures such as amniocentesis, induction of labour, vaginal delivery, cesarean section or postpartum [4,10]. The incidence of the disease is estimated at 1,9-8 per 100,000 pregnancies [4][5][6][7][8][10][11][12][13][14][15].…”

“…It may occur during pregnancy, medical procedures such as amniocentesis, induction of labour, vaginal delivery, cesarean section or postpartum [4,10]. The incidence of the disease is estimated at 1,9-8 per 100,000 pregnancies [4][5][6][7][8][10][11][12][13][14][15]. It is characterized by poor maternal outcome with high fatality rate ranged from 20% to 60%, depending on country's level of development and the timing of the data [8,10,15].…”

“…The incidence of the disease is estimated at 1,9-8 per 100,000 pregnancies [4][5][6][7][8][10][11][12][13][14][15]. It is characterized by poor maternal outcome with high fatality rate ranged from 20% to 60%, depending on country's level of development and the timing of the data [8,10,15]. Older data indicate a mortality reaching even about 90% [4,7].…”

“…Further research is needed to understand the processes that predispose some patients to the development of AFE. Moreover, the diagnosis of AFE is very difficult, and the complication itself resembles other causes of the rapid deterioration of woman' s condition that may occur in the perinatal period, such as: acute pulmonary embolism by thrombus, anaphylaxis, cardiogenic shock, sepsis, air embolism or side effects of anesthetics [10,15]. To accelerate and facilitate the diagnosis of AFE, Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) and Amniotic Fluid Embolism Foundation have recently proposed four diagnostic criteria: (1) sudden cardiac arrest or cardio-respiratory collapse, (2) clinical onset during labour or within half an hour of placental delivery, (3) DIC and (4) absence of fever (≥38°C) during labour [4,12,16].…”