An air embolism, also known as a gas embolism, is a blood vessel blockage caused by one or more bubbles of air or other gas in the circulatory system.[1] Air can be introduced into the circulation during surgical procedures, lung over-expansion injury, decompression, and a few other causes. In flora, air embolisms may also occur in the xylem of vascular plants, especially when suffering from water stress.[2]
Divers can develop arterial gas embolisms as a consequence of lung over-expansion injuries. Breathing gas introduced into the venous system of the lungs due to pulmonary barotrauma will not be trapped in the alveolar capillaries, and will consequently be circulated to the rest of the body through the systemic arteries, with a high risk of embolism. Inert gas bubbles arising from decompression are generally formed in the venous side of the systemic circulation, where inert gas concentrations are highest, these bubbles are generally trapped in the capillaries of the lungs where they will usually be eliminated without causing symptoms. If they are shunted to the systemic circulation through a patent foramen ovale they can travel to and lodge in the brain where they can cause stroke, the coronary capillaries where they can cause myocardial ischaemia or other tissues, where the consequences are usually less critical. The first aid treatment is to administer oxygen at the highest practicable concentration, treat for shock and transport to a hospital where therapeutic recompression and hyperbaric oxygen therapy are the definitive treatment.
^McCarthy CJ, Behravesh S, Naidu SG, Oklu R (October 2016). "Air Embolism: Practical Tips for Prevention and Treatment". Journal of Clinical Medicine. 5 (11): 93. doi:10.3390/jcm5110093. PMC 5126790. PMID 27809224.
^"Induction of air embolism in xylem conduits of pre‐defined diameter". academic.oup.com. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
An airembolism, also known as a gas embolism, is a blood vessel blockage caused by one or more bubbles of air or other gas in the circulatory system...
globule (fat embolism), a bubble of air or other gas (gas embolism), amniotic fluid (amniotic fluid embolism), or foreign material. An embolism can cause...
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treat a venous airembolism by placing the right ventricular outflow tract inferior to the right ventricular cavity, causing the air to migrate superiorly...
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infections. In addition, sexual activities that force air into the vagina can lead to a fatal airembolism, predominantly during pregnancy. A 2021 study found...
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creating blockages. When an embolus occludes a blood vessel, it is called an embolism or embolic event. There are a number of different types of emboli, including...
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to manage the gas supply. and often obscures the real cause of death. Airembolism is also frequently cited as a cause of death, and it, too is the consequence...
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fluid), or gas (like air). Once these masses get "stuck" in a different blood vessel, it is then known as an "embolism." An embolism can cause ischemia—damage...
environments where sufficiently oxygenated air is present, but cannot be adequately breathed because of air contamination such as excessive smoke. Other...
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altitude, and extravehicular activity from spacecraft. DCS and arterial gas embolism are collectively referred to as decompression illness. Since bubbles can...
contains a significant amount of air, careful monitoring should take place during reinfusion to avoid the potential of airembolism. Therefore, it is recommended...
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