Sudden Cardiac Arrest Postoperative Day due to Pulmonary Embolism

Abstract

Cardiac arrest one day after cesarean section is extremely rare. Obstetrical clinicians have low experience to these serious situations necessitating immediate first aid and knowledge of its differential diagnosis. A 33-year-old woman underwent elective repeat cesarean section at 38 weeks of gestation under spinal anesthesia. The patient underwent uneventful course on that day. Loss of consciousness occurred one day after cesarean section during her first ambulation. Immediate cardiac compression was performed and eventually resulted in good recovery of her heartbeat. Her condition was suitable disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). She developed acute ischemic pancreatitis after cardiac arrest. We describe the consideration of amniotic fluid embolism with DIC as most appropriate in this case. To our knowledge, our case is one of the most dangerous conditions after the cesarean section. Here, we report our case with a review of literatures.