ABSTRACT
Background Amniotic fluid embolism (AFE) is a rare, often lethal disease that occurs in pregnancy or in the puerperium period. In the developed world, it is one of the most common etiologies of maternal mortality. It is estimated that up to 10% of maternal deaths are caused by AFE [1]. According to a recent United States national registry review of around 1.5 million deliveries, AFE, second only to preeclampsia, was the most common disease leading to maternal death [2]. Historically, AFE patients have a poor prognosis. Based on a 1995 national registry, mortality rate after an AFE event was reported to be 61% and neurological intact maternal survival rate to be only 15% [3]. Recent data has reported better outcomes with maternal mortality rates as low as 26% and neurological intact survival rates up to 93% [4,5]. Perinatal mortality has been described to be as high as 25%.
