Intact Survival After Obstetric Hemorrhage and 55 Minutes of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

Abstract

Cardiac arrest occurs in approximately 1:12,000 parturients. Among nonpregnant patients who have in-hospital cardiac arrest, those whose spontaneous circulation does not return within 15 to 20 minutes have a high risk of death and disability, so life support efforts are generally stopped after this period. However, among parturients, witnessed in-hospital arrest is often reversible and has a better prognosis. We describe a successful clinical outcome after maternal cardiac arrest and 55 minutes of advanced cardiac life support. This case underscores the importance of high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation and raises questions about the appropriate duration of resuscitation efforts in otherwise healthy young mothers with a potentially reversible cause of arrest.