Treat Mom First: Amniotic Fluid Embolus and Other Peri-partum Emergencies

A postpartum patient does not need to look dramatic to be in real danger. In this episode from FAST 26, Ross talks with Amy Loucks about pregnancy-related deaths, maternal care deserts, postpartum warning signs, hypertension, cardiomyopathy, infection, and the calls EMS can easily miss. Then Elizabeth Garchar walks through amniotic fluid embolism, now often framed as an anaphylactoid reaction of pregnancy: sudden cardiovascular collapse, right heart failure, DIC, TXA, whole blood, AOK, and the principle that matters most when everything goes bad: treat mom first.

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Episode Resources-

CDC: Preventing pregnancy-related deaths — https://www.cdc.gov/maternal-mortality/preventing-pregnancy-related-deaths/index.html

Amniotic fluid embolism overview — https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15463-amniotic-fluid-embolism

AOK regimen for amniotic fluid embolism — https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9477128/

https://www.marchofdimes.org/peristats/

https://www.marchofdimes.org/research/maternity-care-deserts-report.aspx

https://saferbirth.org/

https://www.nmperinatalcollaborative.com/