Introduction: Massive aspiration of gastric contents as a cause of death in pregnancy without anesthesia is possible, but is not documented in the available literature as a separate case report.
Aim: To describe sudden death of a pregnant woman because of massive aspiration of gastric contents.
Case report: The presence of a valvular anomaly in a 26-year-old woman had been known since childhood: the prolapse of both mitral cusps. In the 34th week of her second pregnancy, after dinner, she went to take a shower when she collapsed with abundant vomiting of stomach contents. The ambulance came in 20 min and started a resuscitation procedure which was unsuccessful, and the death of the pregnant woman was established in the 34th week of pregnancy. Autopsy revealed massive aspiration of gastric contents into the trachea and bronchi, pulmonary edema, and generalized cyanosis. Left ventricular dilatation was found in the heart, with prolapse of both mitral valve cusps.
Conclusion: Sudden deaths in pregnancy are rare and dramatic conditions in emergency medicine. Cardiac checkups are very important for pregnant women with heart failures or heart anomalies, and must be recommended by gynecologists.
Keywords: Cardiac death; Emergency; Pregnancy; Resuscitation; Valvular anomaly.
© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, ein Teil von Springer Nature.