Abstract
Pulmonary embolism is the most common cause of maternal death during pregnancy. Case report. We report a 28-year-old obstetric patient (35th gestational week) who was admitted to the hospital because of intermittent vaginal bleeding caused by placenta totalis et accreta. Eleven days after admission she suffered a cardiac arrest. After cardiopulmonary resuscitation, an emergency caesarian section was performed and a healthy child was delivered. Abdominal sonography (B-mode) showed a floating thrombus in the inferior vena cava. Perfusion scintigraphy and cavography were normal; a computed tomography i.v. contrast medium study confirmed the presence of the thrombus. An open thrombectomy was performed to protect the patient from further pulmonary emboli. After 8 days she left the intensive care unit without residual complications. Conclusion. This case emphasises the importance of bedside sonography as a diagnostic method of identifying the source of a thrombus in patients with suspected pulmonary embolism.
| Translated title of the contribution | Fulminant pulmonary embolism in an obstetric patient. Sonographic proof of a thrombus in the inferior vena cava with normal cavography |
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| Original language | German |
| Pages (from-to) | 388-390 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Journal | Anaesthesist |
| Volume | 42 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| State | Published - 1993 |
| Externally published | Yes |