Fatal Clostridium perfringens infection after normal term pregnancy

We describe a case of fatal gas gangrene of the uterus after an apparently normal term pregnancy in a 22-year-old woman. The patient died less than 15 h after the onset of symptoms, which consisted of a single episode of vomiting and increasing hypogastric pain. Hypotension, tachycardia and renal failure were the dominant clinical features. The pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of uterine gas gangrene are discussed.