title: Amniotic fluid embolism complicating medical termination of pregnancy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Amniotic fluid embolism is always a severe complication and generally occurs during labour or immediately after childbirth.
  
  
  METHODS
  We report the case of a patient falling victim to amniotic fluid embolism after the medical termination of her pregnancy at 24 weeks of amenorrhea following the discovery of a teratoma-carrying foetus. The amniotic fluid embolism diagnosis was strongly suspected in the face of the sudden onset of severe arterial hypotension, hypoxic respiratory distress, a coma state and disseminated intravascular coagulopathy immediately after the delivery. Additional tests were conducted to support the diagnosis: cytological testing of a peripheral venous sample and maternal broncho-alveolar lavage fluid, dosing of tryptase and alpha-fetoprotein levels as well as screening for insulin-like growth factor binding protein 1.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Amniotic fluid embolism is a rare and difficult diagnosis, especially in unconventional settings, yet it can be facilitated by screening for amniotic markers and tryptase.
authors.affiliation: Département de soins intensifs, CHU Habib Bourguiba, Route El Ain Km 0.5, Code Postal 3029, Sfax, Tunisie. fatma_kaaniche@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Fatma Medhioub
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Kaaniche
authors.affiliation: Département de soins intensifs, CHU Habib Bourguiba, Route El Ain Km 0.5, Code Postal 3029, Sfax, Tunisie.
authors.forename: Anis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chaari
authors.affiliation: Département de soins intensifs, CHU Habib Bourguiba, Route El Ain Km 0.5, Code Postal 3029, Sfax, Tunisie.
authors.forename: Manel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zekri
authors.affiliation: Département de soins intensifs, CHU Habib Bourguiba, Route El Ain Km 0.5, Code Postal 3029, Sfax, Tunisie.
authors.forename: Mabrouk
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bahloul
authors.affiliation: Département de soins intensifs, CHU Habib Bourguiba, Route El Ain Km 0.5, Code Postal 3029, Sfax, Tunisie.
authors.forename: Hedi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chelly
authors.affiliation: Département de soins intensifs, CHU Habib Bourguiba, Route El Ain Km 0.5, Code Postal 3029, Sfax, Tunisie.
authors.forename: Mounir
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bouaziz
mesh_terms: D000025:Abortion, Eugenic; D000328:Adult; D004619:Embolism, Amniotic Fluid / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy