S. Petroff et al., A CASE OF AMNIOTIC-FLUID EMBOLISM WITH FA VORABLE TIME-COURSE, Annales francaises d'anesthesie et de reanimation, 13(1), 1994, pp. 135-137
A 31-year-old multiparous pregnant woman forced into labour with oxyto
cin, suffered a sudden circulatory collapse and, after the birth of he
r child, a defibrination syndrome with uterine haemorrhage. In the abs
ence of a local cause, either placental or cervico-uterine, a diagnosi
s of amniotic fluid embolism was made. The time course was favourable,
mainly thanks to the absence of acute pulmonary cardiogenic oedema an
d to the use of an anti-shock G suit. The authors point out the lack o
f actual in vivo paraclinical means for confirming the diagnosis.