What Researchers Did
Doctors reported the case of a 44-year-old woman who developed a heart attack caused by air bubbles in her coronary arteries after a CT-guided lung biopsy, and was treated with HBOT.
What They Found
After the lung biopsy, the patient developed low blood pressure and ongoing chest pain. Imaging confirmed air embolism causing a lateral ST-elevation heart attack. HBOT was administered and resulted in complete resolution of the air embolism. The patient was discharged home after two days. A pneumothorax developed post-treatment but was managed with a chest drain.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
For Canadian patients undergoing CT-guided lung biopsies, a common procedure in cancer diagnosis, this case confirms that air embolism, though rare (about 0.061% incidence), can cause life-threatening cardiac complications. It reinforces that hospitals performing this procedure should have rapid access to HBOT, as it is the definitive treatment and enabled full recovery in this case.
Canadian Relevance
Arterial gas embolism is an OHIP-covered indication for HBOT in Ontario.
Study Limitations
This is a single case report and cannot establish how often HBOT succeeds in iatrogenic gas embolism cases at this severity.