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Review
. 2017 Mar 9;9(3):e1087.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.1087.

Vascular Air Embolism During Bronchoscopy Procedures- Incidence, Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, Management and Outcomes

Venkatkiran Kanchustambham  1 , Swetha Saladi  1 , Kris Mehta  2 , John Mwangi  3 , Zafar Jamkhana  3 , Setu Patolia  1
Affiliations
Review

Vascular Air Embolism During Bronchoscopy Procedures- Incidence, Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, Management and Outcomes

Venkatkiran Kanchustambham et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Vascular air embolism (VAE) is a rare, but potentially fatal complication of invasive medical or surgical procedures. It is a very rare complication of bronchoscopy and is most frequently reported with therapeutic bronchoscopy with Argon plasma coagulation (APC) or neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd-YAG) laser. Despite being rare, as a result of its high chance of mortality and morbidity, it is imperative that physicians have high clinical suspicion to allow for early recognition and treatment. In this article, we provide a concise review of the incidence, pathophysiology, diagnosis management and outcomes of air embolism during bronchoscopy procedures.

Keywords: air embolism; argon plasma coagulation(apc); arterial air embolism; bronchoscopy; end tidal co2; nd-yag laser; paradoxical embolism; patent foramen ovale; venous air embolism.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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