Air and Thrombotic Venous Embolism in a Department of Emergency Medicine. A Literature Review

Abstract

Among the different types of central venous access, 2 are mainly recognized, the internal jugular and the subclavian. The most common complications of these invasive procedures are hematoma, vascular injury, pneumothorax, and hemothorax. This review presents 2 atypical complications in the central vascular approach in a patient seen in the emergency department. Complications were air and thrombotic embolisms. Physicians dealing with central venous catheter placement (emergency department, intensive care unit, surgical room, interventionist procedures) should be aware that vascular air embolism is an iatrogenic able to be detected with imaging methods (computed tomography pulmonary angiography, magnetic resonance imaging) as strategies to minimize the risks, which even in expert hands is not exempt from the complications it can have.