Seminars in thrombosis and hemostasis
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Semin. Thromb. Hemost. · Jun 2005
Case ReportsPlacenta previa totalis complicated with pulmonary embolism during cesarean section: a case report.
Venous thromboembolism is believed to be rare in Japan, whereas increases in occurrence of pulmonary embolism have been drawing attention because it has become the most common cause of maternal death in recent years. A 36-year-old woman at 33 weeks of pregnancy was transferred to our hospital because of placenta previa totalis and treated with emergency cesarean section on the same day. Soon after the delivery of the fetus, the patient developed pulmonary embolism. ⋯ Heparin discontinuation intended to decrease the tendency to bleed was followed by two recurrences of pulmonary embolism, resulting in a dangerous condition. Despite these difficult complications, our interventions successfully saved the patient's life and restored her health. We report changes observed in her conditions along with treatment and management we provided, and describe the specificity of pulmonary embolism occurring during the operation.