Air embolism causes
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
An air embolism, or more generally gas embolism, is a medical condition caused by gas bubbles in the bloodstream (embolism in a medical context refers to any large moving mass or defect in the blood stream). Small amounts of air may enter the blood circulation during surgery, other invasive medical procedures, or deep sea diving. There are two types of air embolisms: venous or arterial. venous air embolisms rarely present with symptoms. Symptoms or death mainly occur in the arterial system. Symptoms may occur in the venous system, if a large bubble of gas becomes lodged in the heart, stopping blood from flowing from the right ventricle to the lungs (this is similar to vapor lock in engine fuel systems). However, the amount of gas necessary for this to happen is quite variable, and also depends on a number of other factors, such as body position.
Gas embolism into an artery, termed arterial gas embolism, or AGE, is a more severe diagnosis than venous air embolism, since a gas bubble in an artery may directly cause ischemia to an area fed by the artery. The symptoms of AGE depend on the artery and the organs that it supplies. For example,a stroke or a heart attack may occur if the brain or heart (respectively) are affected.
Decompression sickness (DCS) is a diving disorder that SCUBA divers sometimes suffer when they have pressure damage to their lungs following a rapid ascent where the breath is inappropriately held against a closed glottis, allowing pressure to build up inside the lungs, relative to the blood. It is termed "gas" because the diver may be using a diving breathing gas other than air. The gas bubbles can impede the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the brain and other vital organs. They can also cause clots to form in blood vessels.
Gas embolism and decompression sickness (DCS) have similar symptoms, especially in the central nervous system. The treatment for both is the same, because they are both the result of gas bubbles in the body.
Causes
- Iatrogenic Causes:
- Central Venous Catheter/IV catheters[1] [2]
- Hemodialysis[3]
- Laparoscopic surgery/Abdominal surgery[4]
- Contrast Studies[5]
- ERCP[6]
- Lung Biopsy[7]
- High pressure mechanical ventilation[8]
- Endoscopy[9]
- Intracranial Surgery[10]
- Gynecological Surgery[11]
- Deep sea diving (Decompression Sickness/ Caisson's Disease/ "the bends")[12]
- Blunt chest trauma [13]
References
- ↑ Nicholas J. Parkinson, Harold C. McKenzie, Michelle H. Barton, Jennifer L. Davis, Bettina Dunkel, Amy L. Johnson & Elizabeth S. MacDonald (2018). "Catheter-associated venous air embolism in hospitalized horses: 32 cases". Journal of veterinary internal medicine. 32 (2): 805–814. doi:10.1111/jvim.15057. PMID 29460300. Unknown parameter
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ignored (help) - ↑ T. M. Vesely (2001). "Air embolism during insertion of central venous catheters". Journal of vascular and interventional radiology : JVIR. 12 (11): 1291–1295. PMID 11698628. Unknown parameter
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ignored (help) - ↑ Lawrence Lau & Kory London (2018). "Cortical Blindness and Altered Mental Status following Routine Hemodialysis, a Case of Iatrogenic Cerebral Air Embolism". Case reports in emergency medicine. 2018: 9496818. doi:10.1155/2018/9496818. PMID 29732225.
- ↑ J. M. Bao, J. P. Lin, X. Yu & H. Yu (2018). "[Effects of pneumoperitoneal pressure on air embolism duringlaparoscopic hepatectomy and degree of postoperative inflammation]". Zhonghua yi xue za zhi. 98 (26): 2088–2091. PMID 30032506. Unknown parameter
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ignored (help) - ↑ Kalpana Yeddula, Iftikhar Ahmad, Shafaath Husain Syed Mohammed, Sandeep Hedgire, Vikram Venkatesh, Suhny Abbara & Sanjeeva P. Kalva (2012). "Paradoxical air embolism following contrast material injection through power injectors in patients with a patent foramen ovale". The international journal of cardiovascular imaging. 28 (8): 2085–2090. doi:10.1007/s10554-012-0017-5. PMID 22302647. Unknown parameter
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ignored (help) - ↑ Jonathan P. Wanderer & Naveen Nathan (2018). "Bubble Trouble: Venous Air Embolism in Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography". Anesthesia and analgesia. 127 (2): 324. doi:10.1213/ANE.0000000000003599. PMID 30028380. Unknown parameter
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ignored (help) - ↑ Rika Yoshida, Takeshi Yoshizako, Megumi Nakamura, Shinji Ando, Mitsunari Maruyama, Minako Maruyama, Yoshikazu Takinami, Yukihisa Tamaki, Tomonori Nakamura & Hajime Kitagaki (2018). "Nonfatal air embolism complicating percutaneous CT-guided lung biopsy and VATS marking: Four cases from a single institution". Clinical imaging. 48: 127–130. doi:10.1016/j.clinimag.2017.10.010. PMID 29100079. Unknown parameter
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ignored (help) - ↑ Se-Min Ryu & Sung-Min Park (2018). "Unexpected complication during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support: Ventilator associated systemic air embolism". World journal of clinical cases. 6 (9): 274–278. doi:10.12998/wjcc.v6.i9.274. PMID 30211207. Unknown parameter
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ignored (help) - ↑ Richard C. Prielipp & Sorin J. Brull (2018). "Vascular Air Embolism and Endoscopy: Every Bubble Matters". Anesthesia and analgesia. 127 (2): 333–335. doi:10.1213/ANE.0000000000003329. PMID 30028384. Unknown parameter
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ignored (help) - ↑ Arnoley S. Abcejo, Jeffrey J. Pasternak & William J. Perkins (2018). "Urgent Repositioning After Venous Air Embolism During Intracranial Surgery in the Seated Position: A Case Series". Journal of neurosurgical anesthesiology. doi:10.1097/ANA.0000000000000534. PMID 30148744. Unknown parameter
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ignored (help) - ↑ John K. Chan, Austin B. Gardner, Amandeep K. Mann & Daniel S. Kapp (2018). "Hospital-acquired conditions after surgery for gynecologic cancer - An analysis of 82,304 patients". Gynecologic oncology. 150 (3): 515–520. doi:10.1016/j.ygyno.2018.07.009. PMID 30037490. Unknown parameter
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ignored (help) - ↑ Josep M. Casadesus, Fernando Aguirre, Ana Carrera, Pere Boadas-Vaello, Maria T. Serrando & Francisco Reina (2018). "Diagnosis of arterial gas embolism in SCUBA diving: modification suggestion of autopsy techniques and experience in eight cases". Forensic science, medicine, and pathology. 14 (1): 18–25. doi:10.1007/s12024-018-9951-4. PMID 29460254. Unknown parameter
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ignored (help) - ↑ Isabella Mercurio, Daniele Capano, Riccardo Torre, Aldo Taddei, Gianmarco Troiano, Michele Scialpi & Mario Gabbrielli (2018). "A Case of Fatal Cerebral Air Embolism After Blunt Lung Trauma: Postmortem Computed Tomography and Autopsy Findings". The American journal of forensic medicine and pathology. 39 (1): 61–68. doi:10.1097/PAF.0000000000000375. PMID 29278540. Unknown parameter
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ignored (help)