To Take One’s Breath Away: Echocardiography-Guided Aspiration of an Air Embolism During a MitraClip Procedure

Abstract

An air embolism (AE) is a rare but dreaded complication during endovascular procedures. Current guidance recommends hyperbaric oxygen therapy and aspiration for the management of a venous AE. However, the management of an arterial AE is much less described. We report a case of a 79-year-old man with symptomatic mitral regurgitation who underwent a MitraClip procedure. During the intervention, a massive AE was detected in the ascending aorta on transesophageal echocardiography. The AE was successfully aspirated while the patient remained hemodynamically stable. This report demonstrates the efficacy of an arterial AE's aspiration with a real-time echocardiography recording of the technique.