RT Book, Section
A1 Stafford, Irene A.
A1 Clark, Steven L.
A1 Dildy, Gary A.
A2 Foley, Michael R.
A2 Strong, Jr, Thomas H.
A2 Garite, Thomas J.
SR Print(0)
ID 1152537225
T1 Amniotic Fluid Embolism
T2 Obstetric Intensive Care Manual, 5e
YR 1
FD 1
PB McGraw-Hill Education
PP New York, NY
SN 9781259861758
LK obgyn.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1152537225
RD 2024/04/18
AB Amniotic  fluid  embolism  (AFE)  is  a  catastrophic  syndrome  typically  occurring  during  labor  and  delivery  or  immediately  postpartum.  Although  presenting  symptoms  may  vary,  the  most  common  clinical  features  include  shortness  of  breath,  altered  mental  status,  followed  by  sudden  cardiovascular  collapse,  disseminated  intravascular  coagulation  (DIC),  and  often  maternal  death.  The  diagnosis  remains  clinical  and  involves  a  triad  of  sudden  hypoxia  and  hypotension  followed  by  coagulopathy  with  the  exclusion  of  any  other  likely  cause.  The  first  case  report  of  AFE  was  published  in  a  1926  Brazilian  medical  journal1  and  AFE  was  recognized  as  a  syndrome  in  1941,  when  two  investigators  in  Chicago  described  fetal  mucin  and  squamous  cells  during  postmortem  examination  of  the  pulmonary  vasculature  in  women  who  had  unexplained  obstetric  deaths.2  Since  then,  over  1000  studies,  case  reports,  and  series  have  been  published  in  an  attempt  to  elucidate  the  etiology,  risk  factors,  pathogenesis,  and  treatment  of  this  mysterious  obstetric  complication.