A mother in Nghe An is in critical condition after giving birth to her first child.

At 12 noon on October 2, due to the poor prognosis and no hope of cure, the family took the pregnant woman Bui Thi Hoai Th. (26 years old, residing in Le Loi ward, Vinh city) home. Meanwhile, her daughter, who is not yet 1 day old, is still being cared for at Nghe An General Hospital in normal condition. This is also Th.'s first child.

Before that, at around 9am on October 1, Ms. Th. was taken by her family to Nghe An General Hospital to give birth. Doctors determined that she was 40 weeks pregnant and had signs of amniotic fluid leakage when she was admitted to the hospital.

"After examination, the patient's indicators were normal, except for microcytic anemia. The patient was then monitored at the Obstetrics Department," said Dr. Hoang Ngoc Anh - Head of the Obstetrics Department.

Obstetrics Department - Nghe An General Friendship Hospital at noon on October 2. Photo: Tien Hung

At 4:00 p.m. the same day, the doctors noted that the patient had infrequent uterine contractions, the cervix was 2 fingers wide, and little amniotic fluid was released. After explanation, the family agreed to sign a commitment to administer uterine tonic to shorten labor.

At 8:50 p.m., Ms. Th. gave birth naturally to a baby girl weighing 3 kg. However, according to doctors, only 30 minutes after giving birth, the mother began to have vaginal bleeding, thin red blood, and poor uterine contractions. In addition, the mother also showed signs of irritation, chest pain, purple lips and hands, and nosebleeds.

Doctors used drugs to increase uterine contractions and stop bleeding, but they were ineffective.

The patient was taken to the Anesthesia Department to control the ovaries and uterus, but there was still no positive change. Near midnight, the Hospital decided to perform an abdominal surgery, stop the bleeding by surgery, ligate the uterine arteries on both sides, and at the same time suture the uterus to stop the bleeding.

According to the doctors on duty, after the surgery, the patient still had a little vaginal bleeding. But at 3am on October 2, the mother began to deteriorate, with signs of circulatory arrest. At this time, the doctors had to perform CPR.

"At that time, the doctor on duty examined the patient and noted that the patient's abdomen was soft and not distended. There was little vaginal bleeding. The ultrasound results showed that there was no fluid in the abdomen or uterine cavity," added Dr. Hoang Ngoc Anh.

After many hours of treatment, at noon on October 2, the hospital determined that the mother had no hope of being saved. They allowed the family to take the mother home as they wished.

Mr. Tran Tat Thang - Deputy Director of Nghe An General Hospital said that after the incident, the doctors also met to review the working process and reported to the Department of Health.

Through initial assessment, doctors believe that this mother has signs of a very severe blood clotting disorder. The cause comes from amniotic fluid embolism after birth.

Also early this afternoon (October 2), Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Van Huong - Director of Nghe An General Hospital said that the hospital had convened a meeting of the Professional Council, doctors and nurses of the on-duty team to assess and specifically analyze the cause leading to the condition of pregnant woman Bui Thi Hoai Th.

What is amniotic fluid embolism?

Amniotic fluid embolism is a phenomenon in which amniotic fluid, fetal cells, lanugo, hair or other pieces of tissue enter the mother's circulatory system, leading to respiratory failure and acute circulatory failure in pregnant women. Amniotic fluid embolism can even cause death for pregnant women.

Amniotic fluid embolism usually occurs during labor but can also occur during cesarean section, miscarriage, abdominal trauma, amniocentesis, and can even occur after delivery or cesarean section.

Because complications often occur suddenly and progress very quickly, most patients die. In cases where the fetus has not yet been delivered, most cannot be saved in time. Doctors can perform surgery immediately to save the fetus, but the risk is very high.