Postpartum Septic Shock Due to Clostridium Perfringens From Chorioamnionitis: A Rare Case

• Published in: Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 15; no. 4; p. e38075
• Main Authors: Subahi, Eihab A, Sayed, Sagda, Fadul, Abdalla, Ali, Elrazi A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Cureus Inc 24-04-2023; Cureus
• Subjects: Antibiotics; Blood; Cardiac arrhythmia; Case reports; Childbirth & labor; Episiotomy; Fever; Hemoglobin; Hypotension; Hysterectomy; Infections; Infectious Disease; Internal Medicine; Laboratories; Medical prognosis; Mortality; Multidisciplinary teams; Obstetrics/Gynecology; Pregnancy; Sepsis; Uterus; Vagina; clostridium perfringens; septic shock; chorioamnionitis; postpartum sepsis; pregnancy
• ISSN: 2168-8184; 2168-8184
• DOI: 10.7759/cureus.38075

Although postpartum infections caused by
species are relatively rare, they can have severe consequences if not promptly identified and treated. Clostridial uterine infections typically originate as localized chorioamnionitis, stemming from fetal and/or placental tissue infection. The infection may then spread to the uterine wall and endometrial tissues, and in the most severe cases, it may result in sepsis and shock. These infections can cause serious illness and a high mortality rate without proper treatment. We describe the case of a 26-year-old primigravida woman at 39 weeks gestation who presented with active labor.
was isolated from her blood culture, which led to an intrapartum fever and postpartum septic shock. The patient was admitted to the intensive care unit and received appropriate management, resulting in a favorable outcome.