What Researchers Did
Rehwald R et al. reported a case of systemic air embolism causing acute stroke and myocardial infarction after a percutaneous transthoracic lung biopsy.
What They Found
They found that the air embolism was likely caused by prone patient positioning, which created negative pressure allowing air to enter through a fistula between the airspace and pulmonary vein. The event could have been prevented by positioning the patient in an ipsilateral dependent position during the biopsy, with preferred treatments including hyperbaric oxygen therapy, pure oxygen, and heparinization.
Canadian Relevance
This case report has no direct Canadian connection.
Study Limitations
As a case report, the findings are limited to a single patient and may not be generalizable to a broader population.