Pre-eclampsia and acute pulmonary embolism —the importance of making a differential diagnosis: a case report

We describe the case of a 41-year-old pregnant patient who presented at 38  weeks of gestation for an urgent cesarean section, with new onset of pre-eclampsia as the initial diagnosis. The intraoperative course was complicated by seizures and hemodynamic collapse. Initially, the presentation of seizure pointed to pre-eclampsia/eclampsia; however, with careful consideratio n of each event as it occurred, the correct diagnosis was later determined to be pulmonary embolism and stroke. This case illustrates the importance of considering multiple possible etiologies, even when a particular diagnosis seems obvious.
Source: Journal of Anesthesia - Category: Anesthesiology Source Type: research