Amniotic fluid embolism (AFE) (Latin: embolia liquore
amniotico) is a rare, yet an extremely dangerous perinatal
complication, caused by invasion of the amniotic fluid to
the maternal circulation. This leads to life threatening
complications, for both mother and child, such as cardiopulmonary
collapse, often with cardiac arrest, hemorrhage
with coagulopathy and multiorgan failure (adoult respiratory
distress syndrome, ARDS, and others) in mother,
and effects of severe asphyxia in child. AFE takes
place during or after labor (70% and 11%, respectively)
and cesarean section (19%) [1]. Moreover, amniotic fluid
embolism-like syndrome has been reported to follow artificial
abortion, transabdominal amniocentesis, manual
removal of placenta, placenta percreta and others.