title: Fulminant sepsis after invasive prenatal diagnosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sepsis is extremely rare after invasive prenatal diagnosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A patient, who had undergone amniocentesis at 15 weeks, cordocentesis at 20 weeks, and repeat cordocentesis 24 hours before presentation, was admitted at 21 weeks gestation with vaginal bleeding, rupture of membranes, and intrauterine demise. Although clinical and laboratory findings were unremarkable at presentation, she rapidly developed septic syndrome with disseminated intravascular coagulation and eventually multiple organ failure. The fetus was disintegrated and the uterus had to be removed. She was discharged from the intensive care unit after 34 days. Cultures of the uterine content grew Clostridium perfringens. Review of the literature revealed 10 more cases of sepsis after transabdominal prenatal diagnosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Sepsis after prenatal diagnosis can be devastating, unless promptly diagnosed and treated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Department of Surgery, University Hospital of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: Nicolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Plachouras
authors.forename: Alexandros
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sotiriadis
authors.forename: Nicolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dalkalitsis
authors.forename: Emmanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kontostolis
authors.forename: Nicolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Xiropotamos
authors.forename: Evangelos
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Paraskevaidis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000649:Amniocentesis / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003015:Clostridium Infections; D003016:Clostridium perfringens; D017218:Cordocentesis / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005313:Fetal Death / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000209:etiology*; D012772:Shock, Septic / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology