[Amniotic fluid embolism direct cause of maternal death. Clinical case report].

Embolic complications in pregnancy are not common, but require prompt attention due to their high mortality, with reports of numbers up to 80% in patients with presence of amniotic fluid embolism. Of the embolic complications, deep vein thrombosis is the most frequent and 15-24% of patients could present with amniotic fluid embolism. In the case of a 42-year-old female who had this syndrome, it was considered an obstetric catastrophe. A review of the world literature was carried out to report on the physiopathology of the case.