Amniotic Fluid Embolism (AFE) is a rare medical situation which has not been fully reasoned out why this happens. It is an obstetric problem which requires quick handling of the urgency. The emergency arises when amniotic fluid, fetal cells and other micro organisms penetrate into the blood of the mother that leads to the allergic reaction. All these things enter the blood from mother’s uterus.
The complication may cause heart and lungs failure of the mother. This may hamper the clotting of the blood. The complication was first identified in 1941. It is regarded as one of the first five major reasons of the death of pregnant mothers. The good aspect of the disease has the sad aspect as well. The good aspect of the disease is that it is very rare. The complication arises in one out of two thousand mothers. But the sad aspect of the complication is that the rarity of the disease provides almost no opportunity to make an investigation into it.
Majority of specialists do not experience this type of complication through out their life. But two aspects regarding the condition have been understood. Initially, patient has uncomfortable breathing leading to cardiac arrest due to lack of oxygen in the heart and lungs. As soon as patients experience this stage, she may die within one hour. Almost 40%, who survive the first stage, will experience second stage. In the second stage, the patient experiences vomiting, bad taste in the mouth, shivering and coughing. This may lead to excessive bleeding due to inability of the blood to clot. Caesarean section is strongly recommended in this condition to save the life of the mother.
Amniotic Fluid Embolism
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