AFE Support & Resources
For Patients and Their Families

Last Updated: February 25, 2025

Helping clinicians assist their patients and families during and after an AFE

You play a critical role in the immediate care of patients experiencing an AFE. After the immediate crisis, your care extends beyond the bedside and may include communicating with and supporting the patient and their family. The AFE Foundation aims to prepare and come alongside you in these difficult moments.

Some of the challenges you may face include:

Emotions are high
Don’t know the outcome
You may not have all of the answers
AFE is incredibly complex and difficult to explain
The patient has passed away

Some of the tools we offer are:

Crisis Hotline 1-307-END-AFES

Consider us part of your rapid response team! Our HIPAA compliant hotline quickly connects healthcare providers with the AFE Foundation to offer:

Crisis support for the patient, their family or your team
Guidance on how to collect AFE specimens for the AFE Biorepository
Expertise to aid with the treatment and management of an AFE patient

AFE Stabilization Checklist

The AFE Stabilization Checklist was designed to assist during the emergent stabilization of the patient. It is broken down into three groups to reflect the three classic components of AFE, known as the three B’s: breathing, blood pressure, and bleeding.

It is strongly recommended that assigning a person to oversee the checklist is the best way to promote its use during an emergency.

Effective Communication Guides

There is no easy way to deliver bad news. However, well-planned, effective communication in these events is paramount when trying to explain a complex condition like AFE while trying to limit further trauma. Our AFE Communication Guide is designed to be used in four distinct interactions and follows a straightforward A-F-E- strategy to help you:

Acknowledge your emotions

Formulate a plan

Execute the communication

Download Communication Guides

Family-Friendly AFE Crisis Handout

AFE is a complex medical condition that can be difficult for patients and families to understand. Our AFE handout is a helpful tool to healthcare providers when trying to explain an AFE. It offers answers to frequently asked questions, a place to keep important information, and quick tips for family members when faced with an AFE crisis.

AFE Survivor Clinical Summary Form

Our AFE Survivor Clinical Summary is a two-page editable PDF document designed to summarize the most significant aspects of your patient’s clinical care to better assist them in understanding what happened to their body.

The summary form aids in the continuity of their care as these patients often have many follow up visits with specialists and/or need to reestablish care with their primary care physician. It aims to minimize the triggers associated with retelling this traumatic event for your patient.

As a healthcare provider, you are encouraged to complete this summary for the patient. It does not become part of their healthcare record.

Outcome Specific Information and Guides

We recognize every case of AFE and the patient’s response will be unique. To meet the varying needs of our community, we have established outcome specific guides to aid patients and families as they navigate their path forward. We also offer many support groups to assist them in connecting with others in our community who share a similar perspective.

AFE Support & Resources For Patients and Their Families