American journal of reproductive immunology : AJRI
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Am. J. Reprod. Immunol. · Aug 2010
Case ReportsMaternal death following cardiopulmonary collapse after delivery: amniotic fluid embolism or septic shock due to intrauterine infection?
The amniotic fluid embolism (AFE) syndrome is a catastrophic complication of pregnancy frequently associated with maternal death. The causes and mechanisms of disease responsible for this syndrome remain elusive. ⋯ We propose that subclinical intraamniotic infection may be a cause of postpartum cardiovascular collapse and DIC and resemble AFE. Thus, some patients with the clinical diagnosis of AFE may have infection/systemic inflammation as a mechanism of disease. These observations have implications for the understanding of the mechanisms of disease of patients who develop cardiovascular collapse and DIC, frequently attributed to AFE. It may be possible to identify a subset of patients who have biochemical and immunological evidence of systemic inflammation at the time of admission, and before a catastrophic event occurs.