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Clinical Journal of the American... Feb 2017Given the high comorbidity in patients on hemodialysis and the complexity of the dialysis treatment, it is remarkable how rarely a life-threatening complication occurs... (Review)
Review
Given the high comorbidity in patients on hemodialysis and the complexity of the dialysis treatment, it is remarkable how rarely a life-threatening complication occurs during dialysis. The low rate of dialysis emergencies can be attributed to numerous safety features in modern dialysis machines; meticulous treatment and testing of the dialysate solution to prevent exposure to trace elements, toxins, and pathogens; adherence to detailed treatment protocols; and extensive training of dialysis staff to handle medical emergencies. Most hemodialysis emergencies can be attributed to human error. A smaller number are due to rare idiosyncratic reactions. In this review, we highlight major emergencies that may occur during hemodialysis treatments, describe their pathogenesis, offer measures to minimize them, and provide specific interventions to prevent catastrophic consequences on the rare occasions when such emergencies arise. These emergencies include dialysis disequilibrium syndrome, venous air embolism, hemolysis, venous needle dislodgement, vascular access hemorrhage, major allergic reactions to the dialyzer or treatment medications, and disruption or contamination of the dialysis water system. Finally, we describe root cause analysis after a dialysis emergency has occurred to prevent a future recurrence.
Topics: Azotemia; Embolism, Air; Emergencies; Equipment Failure; Hemolysis; Hemorrhage; Humans; Hypersensitivity; Needles; Renal Dialysis; Root Cause Analysis; Water Supply
PubMed: 27831511
DOI: 10.2215/CJN.05260516 -
Anesthesiology Jan 2007Vascular air embolism is a potentially life-threatening event that is now encountered routinely in the operating room and other patient care areas. The circumstances... (Review)
Review
Vascular air embolism is a potentially life-threatening event that is now encountered routinely in the operating room and other patient care areas. The circumstances under which physicians and nurses may encounter air embolism are no longer limited to neurosurgical procedures conducted in the "sitting position" and occur in such diverse areas as the interventional radiology suite or laparoscopic surgical center. Advances in monitoring devices coupled with an understanding of the pathophysiology of vascular air embolism will enable the physician to successfully manage these potentially challenging clinical scenarios. A comprehensive review of the etiology and diagnosis of vascular air embolism, including approaches to prevention and management based on experimental and clinical data, is presented. This compendium of information will permit the healthcare professional to rapidly assess the relative risk of vascular air embolism and implement monitoring and treatment strategies appropriate for the planned invasive procedure.
Topics: Catheterization, Central Venous; Echocardiography, Transesophageal; Embolism, Air; Humans; Positive-Pressure Respiration; Posture; Ultrasonography, Doppler
PubMed: 17197859
DOI: 10.1097/00000542-200701000-00026 -
Frontiers in Immunology 2023Iatrogenic vascular air embolism is a relatively infrequent event but is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. These emboli can arise in many clinical... (Review)
Review
Iatrogenic vascular air embolism is a relatively infrequent event but is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. These emboli can arise in many clinical settings such as neurosurgery, cardiac surgery, and liver transplantation, but more recently, endoscopy, hemodialysis, thoracentesis, tissue biopsy, angiography, and central and peripheral venous access and removal have overtaken surgery and trauma as significant causes of vascular air embolism. The true incidence may be greater since many of these air emboli are asymptomatic and frequently go undiagnosed or unreported. Due to the rarity of vascular air embolism and because of the many manifestations, diagnoses can be difficult and require immediate therapeutic intervention. An iatrogenic air embolism can result in both venous and arterial emboli whose anatomic locations dictate the clinical course. Most clinically significant iatrogenic air emboli are caused by arterial obstruction of small vessels because the pulmonary gas exchange filters the more frequent, smaller volume bubbles that gain access to the venous circulation. However, there is a subset of patients with venous air emboli caused by larger volumes of air who present with more protean manifestations. There have been significant gains in the understanding of the interactions of fluid dynamics, hemostasis, and inflammation caused by air emboli due to and studies on flow dynamics of bubbles in small vessels. Intensive research regarding the thromboinflammatory changes at the level of the endothelium has been described recently. The obstruction of vessels by air emboli causes immediate pathoanatomic and immunologic and thromboinflammatory responses at the level of the endothelium. In this review, we describe those immunologic and thromboinflammatory responses at the level of the endothelium as well as evaluate traditional and novel forms of therapy for this rare and often unrecognized clinical condition.
Topics: Humans; Embolism, Air; Thromboinflammation; Inflammation; Thrombosis; Iatrogenic Disease
PubMed: 37795086
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1230049 -
The Journal of Extra-corporeal... Sep 2021
Topics: Arteries; Delivery of Health Care; Embolism, Air; Humans
PubMed: 34658416
DOI: 10.1182/ject-2100010 -
Stroke Jul 2019
Topics: Aged, 80 and over; Blood Pressure; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Embolism, Air; Female; Heart Rate; Humans; Tomography, X-Ray Computed
PubMed: 31164070
DOI: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.119.025340 -
Schweizer Archiv Fur Tierheilkunde Sep 2017Intravenous catheterization is a necessity for continuous administration of intravenous fluids and for intermittent intravenous access to avoid discomfort and potential... (Review)
Review
Intravenous catheterization is a necessity for continuous administration of intravenous fluids and for intermittent intravenous access to avoid discomfort and potential complications of repeated needle insertions into the vein. Intravenous catheterization is commonly performed and well tolerated in horses, but catheter associated complications have been reported. The most commonly reported complication is thrombophlebitis, but others such as venous air embolism, exsanguination and catheter fragmentation may also occur. This article aims to review clinical signs, pathogenesis, diagnosis, therapy, risk factors and prevention of common catheter associated complications.
Topics: Animals; Catheterization, Peripheral; Embolism, Air; Exsanguination; Horse Diseases; Horses; Prognosis; Risk Factors; Thrombophlebitis; Vascular Access Devices
PubMed: 28952957
DOI: 10.17236/sat00126 -
Kidney International Feb 2020
Topics: Catheters, Indwelling; Embolism, Air; Humans; Peritoneal Dialysis; Postoperative Complications
PubMed: 31980081
DOI: 10.1016/j.kint.2019.09.009 -
JACC. Cardiovascular Interventions Sep 2022
Topics: Cardiac Catheterization; Catheter Ablation; Embolism, Air; Humans; Mediastinal Emphysema; Mitral Valve Insufficiency; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 36075649
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcin.2022.06.032 -
Thorax Jul 1967The incidence and the outcome of systemic air embolism in 340 consecutive patients who underwent cardiac surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass in this unit for congenital...
The incidence and the outcome of systemic air embolism in 340 consecutive patients who underwent cardiac surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass in this unit for congenital defects of the cardiac septa and diseases involving the aortic and mitral valves have been studied. This was thought to have occurred in 40 patients, of whom 10 died. The distribution of air embolism according to the types of operation undertaken was as follows: six of 127 for atrial septal defect; six of 36 for ventricular septal defect; seven of 42 for mitral valve replacement; seven of 47 for aortic valve débridement; and 14 of 55 for aortic valve replacement. The cause was considered to have been systolic ejection of air into the aorta which, following cardiotomy, had been trapped in the pulmonary veins, the left atrium, the ventricular trabeculae, and the aortic root. Since the adoption of a more rigid `debubbling' routine, air embolism has not occurred. The incidence of pulmonary complications occurring in these patients after bypass was studied. Unilateral atelectasis, which occurred in five patients, resulted from retained bronchial secretions in all and was cured by bronchoscopic aspiration in all. The cause of bilateral atelectases, occurring in nine patients and fatal in eight of these, appeared to be related to cardiopulmonary factors and not to air embolism. Acute air injection made into the pulmonary artery of a dog resulted in pulmonary hypertension and a grossly deficient pulmonary circulation, but changes were largely resolved within a week. In view of this, it is considered that pulmonary air embolism may temporarily embarrass the right heart after the repair of a ventricular septal defect in a patient with an elevated pulmonary vascular resistance and diminished pulmonary vascular bed.
Topics: Aortic Valve; Cardiac Surgical Procedures; Debridement; Embolism, Air; Extracorporeal Circulation; Heart Septal Defects; Heart Valve Prosthesis; Humans; Hypertension, Pulmonary; Intracranial Embolism and Thrombosis; Mitral Valve; Postoperative Complications; Pulmonary Atelectasis; Pulmonary Embolism; Radionuclide Imaging
PubMed: 6035795
DOI: 10.1136/thx.22.4.320 -
Inflammation Feb 2021Excessive amounts of air can enter the lungs and cause air embolism (AE)-induced acute lung injury (ALI). Pulmonary AE can occur during diving, aviation, and iatrogenic...
Excessive amounts of air can enter the lungs and cause air embolism (AE)-induced acute lung injury (ALI). Pulmonary AE can occur during diving, aviation, and iatrogenic invasive procedures. AE-induced lung injury presents with severe hypoxia, pulmonary hypertension, microvascular hyper-permeability, and severe inflammatory responses. Pulmonary AE-induced ALI is a serious complication resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. Surfactant is abundant in the lungs and its function is to lower surface tension. Earlier studies have explored the beneficial effects of surfactant in ALI; however, none have investigated the role of surfactant in pulmonary AE-induced ALI. Therefore, we conducted this study to determine the effects of surfactant in pulmonary AE-induced ALI. Isolated-perfused rat lungs were used as a model of pulmonary AE. The animals were divided into four groups (n = 6 per group): sham, air embolism (AE), AE + surfactant (0.5 mg/kg), and AE+ surfactant (1 mg/kg). Surfactant pretreatment was administered before the induction of pulmonary AE. Pulmonary AE was induced by the infusion of 0.7 cc air through a pulmonary artery catheter. After induction of air, pulmonary AE was presented with pulmonary edema, pulmonary microvascular hyper-permeability, and lung inflammation with neutrophilic sequestration. Activation of NF-κB was observed, along with increased expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and Na-K-Cl cotransporter isoform 1 (NKCC1). Surfactant suppressed the activation of NF-κB and decreased the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and NKCC1, thereby attenuating AE-induced lung injury. Therefore, AE-induced ALI presented with pulmonary edema, microvascular hyper-permeability, and lung inflammation. Surfactant suppressed the expressions of NF-κB, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and NKCC1, thereby attenuating AE-induced lung injury.
Topics: Acute Lung Injury; Animals; Embolism, Air; Gene Expression Regulation; Male; NF-kappa B; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Solute Carrier Family 12, Member 2; Surface-Active Agents
PubMed: 33089374
DOI: 10.1007/s10753-020-01266-1