Iatrogenic Pulmonary Air Embolism with Rapid Resolution: A Case Report

Natassia Buckridge; Stacey Frisch; Richard Sinert

doi:10.1016/j.jemermed.2021.02.039

Iatrogenic Pulmonary Air Embolism with Rapid Resolution: A Case Report

J Emerg Med. 2021 Aug;61(2):172-173. doi: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2021.02.039. Epub 2021 May 15.

Authors

Natassia Buckridge¹, Stacey Frisch¹, Richard Sinert¹

Affiliation

¹ State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York and Kings County Hospital New York Health and Hospitals, Brooklyn, New York.

PMID: 34006417
DOI: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2021.02.039

Abstract

Background: Iatrogenic pulmonary air embolism is a fairly common and sometimes deadly complication of i.v. contrast injection.

Case report: We present the case of a 33-year-old man with a symptomatic iatrogenic injection air embolism and resolution within 5 h. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Given the importance of computed tomography imaging in emergency medicine, clinicians should be aware of the risk for injection air embolism from i.v. contrast injection.

Keywords: air embolism; i.v. contrast power injector.

Published by Elsevier Inc.

Publication types

Case Reports

MeSH terms

Adult
Embolism, Air* / etiology
Humans
Iatrogenic Disease
Male
Pulmonary Embolism* / diagnosis
Pulmonary Embolism* / etiology
Tomography, X-Ray Computed