Successful treatment of severe sepsis with recombinant activated protein C during the third trimester of pregnancy.

Abstract

Severe sepsis in pregnancy is associated with multiorgan failure and a high risk of death for the mother and fetus. We present the case of a pregnant patient at 26 weeks of gestation with severe sepsis secondary to pneumonia. She was admitted to the intensive care unit and started on combination antibiotics and bilevel positive airway pressure. Her condition continued to deteriorate, and she was treated with recombinant activated protein C (drotrecogin alfa). She improved and delivered at 28 weeks of gestation after preterm labor; neither the patient nor the neonate had evidence of drug-related complications. This report describes a case of severe sepsis at 26 weeks of gestation secondary to pneumonia, with successful maternal and fetal outcome after use of drotrecogin alfa (activated).