What Researchers Did
This case report describes a 67-year-old man who experienced an air embolism, a rare but serious complication, during an upper endoscopy procedure.
What They Found
During the endoscopy, the patient developed an air embolism, which led to a decrease in his pulse oxygen saturation and a delayed recovery from sedation. He eventually recovered in the intensive care unit with some weakness in his left upper limb, despite not receiving hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Canadian Relevance
No direct Canadian authors or study site were identified. However, air embolism falls under the Health Canada-recognised indication of arterial gas embolism, for which hyperbaric oxygen therapy is an approved treatment.
Study Limitations
As a single case report, the findings of this study cannot be broadly applied to all patients undergoing endoscopy.