Amniotic Fluid Embolism Patient - I wouldn't wish it on any nurse.

[JanineKelbach, RN]

OH man.

It happened.

The rarest thing in labor and delivery to happen --- happened...when I was in charge.

She was not my patient, but I was her nurse 4 years ago with her son. SUCH A SWEET PATIENT! She brought us food (so we like her even more, right?) and demanded me take a pic wither 4 year old and the new baby when he comes out.

Unfortunately, we never would have predicted how he was brought into the world.

1602. It happened.

I was hanging IVPB #3 dose of PCN on my GBS pos patient who was 6cm and a multip. We were joking as I went to hoist her numb leg onto the peanut ball..then..vocera went off.

"I need you in here NOW" (Her membranes were ruputred artifically at 1545) - Cat 1 tracing, ctx q3-4 min pt's bp 124/74 5 minutes prior)

I abandoned my patient with a smile and ran! The patient who I took a picture with and joked with that very morning was in total respiratory arrest with a pulse of 30bpm. She "felt funny" and passed out per the nurse and family. No FHR was heard and an airway was the concern. We immediately called a code blue and started to suction and bag the patient. Everyone was at the bedside.

We crashed her.

He cut her abdomen T shaped and no blood...I always remember hearing....no blood when cut is death.

She was dead.

Baby was lifeless...dead.

::This can't be happening:: but it was.

"I think she's going into DIC, she oozing and blood is showing in her foley."

2 minutes after the baby was out.

LOOOOOONG story short (and I would be happy to share). She is alive.

Her baby, 6/8 apgars.

A miracle...2 miracles.

And we are not a trauma/teaching hospital.

A small community hospital with amazing teamwork is all we are.

I had to vent a little. I want you to hear and know it can happen....to anyone.

We drew a blood test while she was in DIC Called a Fetal Squamous Cell test. It showed she indeed suffered an amniotic fluid embolism.

Lots of prayers for them and their recovery.

[LibraSunCNM, BSN, MSN, CNM]

Oh my goodness! I'm so glad the patient and her baby were OK in the end. You're so right, AFE is one of those ultra-rare, terrifying events you know you may see once or twice in a career but just pray that you don't. Strong work!

[ruby_jane, BSN, RN]

Wow. Just....wow. Kudos to all y'all. We forget with all our birthing suites and routine prenatal care and such that childbirth may be scary and dangerous. From uneventful to hellacious in five minutes. Hugs!

[Munch]

I'm so glad your patient(s) are okay! Nice work. So much for sticking to looking for horses huh? You definitely had a zebra on that shift.

[brownbook]

I was the night shift supervisor (of course that's when it happens) at a small county hospital. The same incident but unfortunately both mother and baby died. I had worked almost all units of the hospital prior to being supervisor, but not L &D.

Hearing the over head page of code blue L&D and thinking, ha ha, somebody accidentally hit the code button I didn't "rush" over to L&D. After the announcement continued I thought I'd better go! I felt like this couldn't be happening, everything, everybody seemed to be moving in slow motion. That was my perception, of course it was a bee hive of activity.

I'd been in pleanty of ACLS code blues, and other various serious incidents. But that incident, my memory of it, will stay with me forever.

[NurseNora, BSN, RN]

I have cared for two women with AFE, now called Anaphylactoid Syndrome of Pregnancy, both moms died, both babies survived. I called a code for the first one-AND NO ONE CAME. People thought it was a joke. "Code Blue, Delivery Room 1." We had to call it again. Hers happened at delivery. The other one happened at the time of AROM in the labor room. We did a perimortem section right there with the father refusing to leave. The baby had 8/9 Apgars. The code team came for that one, different hospital thirty some years later. After that, we started keeping the Perimortem Section set on the code cart.