Fatal Air Embolism During Urologic Operation

Survey of literature related to the problems of gas embolism in human body

“…Atmospheric air is sometimes inadvertently introduced into the circulatory system following air injection into the body for therapeutic and diagnostic procedures. Death has been reported following injection of air into the knee (Kleinberg, 1927), the male urethra (Forbes and Cordonnier, 1953;Goddard and Moffett, 1955;Mathe, 1929), presacred insuffiation of air (Eefkovitz, 1957;Glassman et al, 1956), ventriculography (Meppner, 1952 and pneumoencephalography 0acoby et al, 1953).…”

“…Another report (Michenfelder et al, 1966) gave a rate of 2-6 per cent for air embolism during occipital craniotomy, although in these cases the patients, in whom air embolism was detected, were saved. There are also many other reports of air embolism, some of which are from abortion (Majoska, 1956;Haynes, 1956;Deadman, 1937), douching (Silver and Evans, 1968;Glassy, 1963), gunshot wounds of the neck (Ellis and Brown, 1964), operation on the bladder (Goddard and Moffett, 1955), root canal therapy (Rickles and Joshi, 1963), craniotomy with pressurized drill (Ericsson et al, 1964), neurosurgical procedures (Hunter, 1962;Marshall, 1965), operations on the head and neck (Longnecker, 1965), antrum lavage (Thompson, 1955), air insufflation of the bladder (Mathe, 1929), joints (Kleinberg, 1927), pneumoperitorieum (Bailey, 1948, Breathnach, 1954Burman, 1956;Higgins and Batchelder, 1961), vaginal insufflation with power blowers (Brown, 1943;Partridge, 1943;Pierce, 1936), and blood donations (Brown, 1943;Doyle and Frodsham, 1949;Devas, 1944;Levin, 1955;Reusch et al, 1960;Yeakel, 1968). Bends associated with deep sea diving has been reputedly caused by air embolism on decompression from high pressures (Hill and Greenwood, 1910;Bert, 1878; surgery, heart transplant, and space travel, Harvey, 1945).…”