A CASE OF SUDDEN MATERNAL DEATH ASSOCIATED WITH RESUSCITATIVE LIVER-INJURY

A pregnant lady suffered massive pulmonary thromboembolism whilst undergoing pelvic ultrasonography at an obstetric unit. She was vigorously resuscitated for -2 h and later transferred to a cardiovascular surgical department where an emergency pulmonary embolectomy was performed, at which time, some 21 of blood, emanating from lacerations of the right hepatic lobe, were found in the peritoneal cavity. Despite heroic measures, she died intraoperatively, having developed clinical features of disseminated intravascular coagulation. Autopsy demonstrated the presence of multiple liver lacerations which are believed to have been caused by protracted external cardiac massage and would have contributed to her death.