Thrombocytopenia in pregnancy, a challenge in the intensive care unit (ICU)

Thrombocytopenia is a common alteration during pregnancy and the multiple possible aetiologies make the differential diagnosis challenging. Physiological changes of pregnancy can mask severe conditions until advanced stages. This case refers to a pregnant woman who presented fever and thrombocytopenia during labour. In the postpartum period she developed rapidly progressive hemodynamic instability requiring admission to the ICU. There was progression to acute kidney injury, persistent thrombocytopenia and platelet dysfunction. The differential diagnosis included DIC in the context of sepsis, PPH and other causes of thrombotic microangiopathies in pregnancy.