Spontaneous pulmonary air embolism in a child undergoing procedural deep sedation: case report and review of the literature

F. Tosi, A. Chiaretti, D. Buonsenso, S. Mensi, O. Genovese, M. Pittiruti, G. Conti

Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli – IRCCS, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy. danilo.buonsenso@policlinicogemelli.

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• Respiratory Medicine

We performed a systematic review of the literature starting from a real case of venous air embolism (VAE) in a young infant undergoing central catheterization during procedural sedation. Air embolism due to internal jugular vein catheterization during procedural sedation is very rare, but it is a potentially life-threatening complication of central catheterization that warrants attention. To our knowledge, this is the first case published in a similar scenario.

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