Progressive multiple organ dysfunction syndrome in adolescent pregnancy: Case report

Adolescent pregnancy is a physiological process, but it can evolve with premature delivery, severe obstetric or clinical pathologies, mortality, or sequelae for mother and child. We aim to report the progressive multiple organ dysfunction syndrome secondary to pyelonephritis and sepsis during prepartum, delivery, and puerperium of adolescent pregnancy and its sequelae.

A 14-year-old adolescent with a pregnancy of 27 weeks of gestation controlled from 8 to 25 weeks. She was urgently admitted to the high-risk obstetric unit due to signs of preterm labor, pyelonephritis, and acute renal injury. Treatment was started with intravenous cefazolin and betamethasone for lung maturation, oral nifedipine, and magnesium sulfate to prevent preterm labor and fetal neuronal protection, evolving with sustained hypotension and septic shock. At 13 hours after admission, she was transferred to the intensive care unit, where she evolved with persistent and progressive multiple organ failure for 28 days, progressively affecting the cardiovascular, hematologic, respiratory, and gastrointestinal systems. She was treated with vasoactive drugs, antibiotics, invasive mechanical ventilation, ultrafiltration, hemodialysis, pleural drainage, and cholecystectomy. Twenty-four hours after admission to intensive care, preterm vaginal delivery occurred. She developed chronic kidney disease stage KDIGO 5 (Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes V) and is awaiting renal transplantation. On the other hand, the preterm newborn presented severe neonatal asphyxia, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.

Complicated adolescent pregnancy is a health emergency. Avoiding delays in the diagnosis and treatment of pyelonephritis, septic shock and the progressive multiple organ dysfunction syndrome can prevent mortality and permanent sequelae, both maternal and neonatal.