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Postpartum Maternal Hypothermia in an Adolescent Patient Following Spontaneous Vaginal Delivery

Kara Weishaar1, Erin Bailey2, Hana El Ado Mikdachi3

  • 1Obstetrics and Gynecology, East Tennessee State University - Quillen College of Medicine, Johnson City, USA.

Cureus
|August 22, 2022
PubMed

Postpartum hypothermia, though rare after spontaneous vaginal delivery, can be life-threatening, warranting efficient workup and intervention. A 14-year-old primigravida developed postpartum hypothermia following spontaneous vaginal delivery. No clear etiology was identified despite extensive workup. Intervention with warmed fluids and application of forced air warming system resolved the hypothermia in less than 24 hours without relapse. Following negative workup, the most likely etiology was administration of chilled intravenous fluids in the setting of acute blood loss of delivery and physiologic vasodilation of pregnancy. This case demonstrates the importance of considering common and unusual causes of postpartum hypothermia and leads to a recommendation for routine postpartum temperature checks and hypothermia protocols that include warmed fluid replacement and a forced air warming system.

Keywords:
adolescent pregnancyhypophyseal malfunctionhypothermiaphysiologic vasodilation of pregnancypostpartum complicationspostpartum hypothermiaspontaneous vaginal delivery

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