A 35-year-old resident of the Arab city of Abu-Ghosh, west of Jerusalem, died Tuesday evening, more than 24 hours after giving birth in an emergency Cesarean section. The child was saved.
Immediately after surgery the mother developed heart failure and collapse of the system, the characteristic mode of a massive amniotic fluid embolism to the lungs. The hospital said the frequency of such an incident is once every 40,000 births. It comes without any warningor a way to prevent it, and that the mortality rate in such cases is more than 90 percent. The medical team immediately began lifesaving efforts which continued until Tuesday evening, when doctors were forced to pronounce the woman's death.