O88.1: Amniotic fluid embolism

You need lungs to breath. When we breathe in, oxygen enters the lungs and accumulates in the blood. This blood then flows to the heart. The heart then pumps the oxygen-rich blood throughout the body. All of the organs are supplied with oxygen as a result.

Your blood vessels became sealed during pregnancy, during the birth, or in the early weeks after the birth of your child. Your blood vessels have been sealed by amniotic fluid. When the pregnancy begins, the amniotic sac containing the amniotic fluid develops in the womb. The amniotic sac surrounds the child. Amniotic fluid can get into the circulatory system via the womb or via the placenta. The amniotic fluid then also reaches the blood vessels in the lungs and it can seal them.

When blood vessels in the lungs are sealed, it is also known as a pulmonary embolism. A pulmonary embolism can produce a variety of symptoms. You may have breathing difficulties and chest pain. Your heart may beat more quickly than it normally does. The person may also lose consciousness.

When amniotic fluid gets into the blood vessels, blood clotting can also be harmed. Platelets and various clotting proteins in the blood are involved in blood clotting. The platelets can adhere to one another in such a way that they stop a bleed. The clotting proteins stabilize the platelets that have stuck together. This enables wounds to heal, for example. When you have a blood clotting disorder, you bleed more heavily or for longer than usual, for example.