Because he was unresponsive, hypoxic, hypotensive, and tachycardic, he was rapidly transported to the Emergency Department at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
A defibrillator is a machine that delivers a targeted, measured amount of electricity to a heart that is either in something called ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia.
In some severe cases, where the maternal hemodynamics are worrisome and the fetal heart rate tracing shows signs of fetal hypoxia, an immediate cesarean section can be performed.
The fast-moving infection and massive tissue destruction can lead to fever and tachycardia, and can even progress to hypotension, shock, and eventually death - within just a few hours.