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Acta Neurochir (Wien) 2021 May 2. Epub 2021 May 2.

Victor Horsley Department of Neurosurgery, The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London, UK.

Background: Pineal region tumours remain challenging neurosurgical pathologies.

Methods: Detailed anatomical knowledge of the posterior incisural space and its variations is critical. An opaque arachnoidal membrane seals the internal cerebral and basal veins, leading to thalamic, basal ganglia, mesencephalic/pontine infarctions if injured. Read More

Neurochirurgie 2021 Apr 26. Epub 2021 Apr 26.

Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital of Tours, France.

Rev Neurol 2021 May;72(9):333-335

Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca, El Palmar, España.

Introduction: The presence of air in vascular structures of the brain can lead to neurological symptoms and significant morbidity. It usually occurs as a consequence of invasive therapeutic procedures and is very rarely triggered by any other cause.

Case Report: We report the case of a 76-year-old woman with a history of atrial fibrillation anticoagulated with acenocoumarol who visited the Emergency department because of sudden-onset abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhoea. Read More

Crit Care Med 2021 Apr 19. Epub 2021 Apr 19.

Department of Cardiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark. Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.

Objectives: To investigate if oxygen could unload the right ventricle and improve right ventricle function in a porcine model mimicking intermediate-high risk acute pulmonary embolism.

Design: Controlled, blinded, animal study.

Setting: Tertiary university hospital, animal research laboratory. Read More

Indian J Anaesth 2021 Feb 10;65(2):171-173. Epub 2021 Feb 10.

Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Mohamed VI University Health Center, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech, Morocco.

Am J Kidney Dis 2021 05 23;77(5):796-809. Epub 2021 Mar 23.

MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC. Electronic address:

Since maintenance hemodialysis (HD) first became available in the United States in 1962, there has been tremendous growth in the population of patients with kidney failure. HD has become a routine treatment carried out in outpatient clinics, hospitals, nursing facilities, and in patients' homes. Although it is a complex procedure, HD is quite safe. Read More

Acta Cardiol Sin 2021 Mar;37(2):208-210

Department of Surgery.

Surg Today 2021 Mar 13. Epub 2021 Mar 13.

First Department of Surgery, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Laikon General Hospital, Athens, Greece.

Purpose: Although esophagectomy remains the preferred treatment for esophageal cancer, it is still associated with a number of complications, including post-operative venous thromboembolism (VTE). The aim of this study was to summarize the reported incidence of VTE after esophagectomy, its risk factors, and prevention strategies.

Methods: We conducted a systematic search of the literature in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Read More

Radiologia 2021 Mar 4. Epub 2021 Mar 4.

Servicio de radiodiagnóstico, Hospital Vall de Hebron, Barcelona, España.

Objective: To describe the radiologic findings of extrapulmonary air in the chest and to review atypical and unusual causes of extrapulmonary air, emphasizing the importance of the diagnosis in managing these patients.

Conclusion: In this article, we review a series of cases collected at our center that manifest with extrapulmonary air in the thorax, paying special attention to atypical and uncommon causes. We discuss the causes of extrapulmonary according to its location: mediastinum (spontaneous pneumomediastinum with pneumorrhachis, tracheal rupture, dehiscence of the bronchial anastomosis after lung transplantation, intramucosal esophageal dissection, Boerhaave syndrome, tracheoesophageal fistula in patients with esophageal tumors, bronchial perforation and esophagorespiratory fistula due to lymph-node rupture, and acute mediastinitis), pericardium (pneumopericardium in patients with lung tumors), cardiovascular (venous air embolism), pleura (bronchopleural fistulas, spontaneous pneumothorax in patients with malignant pleural mesotheliomas and primary lung tumors, and bilateral pneumothorax after unilateral lung biopsy), and thoracic wall (infections, transdiaphragmatic intercostal hernia, and subcutaneous emphysema after lung biopsy). Read More

Transfusion 2021 Mar 5. Epub 2021 Mar 5.

Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.

Background: Severe blood donor adverse events are rare, but due to their rarity studying them can be difficult. To get an accurate estimate of their frequency and rate in the donor population it may be necessary to combine donation data across countries.

Study Design And Methods: International blood collection organizations (BCOs) provided data on rare/severe donor reactions as well as denominator information for their donor populations from 2015 to 2017. Read More

Undersea Hyperb Med 2021 First Quarter;48(1):73-80

Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, U.S.

Venous gas emboli (VGE) are often quantified as a marker of decompression stress on echocardiograms. Bubble-counting has been proposed as an easy to learn method, but remains time-consuming, rendering large dataset analysis impractical. Computer automation of VGE counting following this method has therefore been suggested as a means to eliminate rater bias and save time. Read More

Undersea Hyperb Med 2021 First Quarter;48(1):59-72

Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, U.S.

It is widely accepted that bubbles are a necessary but insufficient condition for the development of decompression sickness. However, open questions remain regarding the precise formation and behavior of these bubbles after an ambient pressure reduction (decompression), primarily due to the inherent difficulty of directly observing this phenomenon in vivo. In decompression research, information about these bubbles after a decompression is gathered via means of ultrasound acquisitions. Read More

Undersea Hyperb Med 2021 First Quarter;48(1):57-58

Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, U.S.S.

Decompression sickness (DCS) remains a major operational concern for diving operations, submarine escape and high-altitude jumps. Aside from DCS symptoms, venous gas emboli (VGE) detected with ultrasound post-dive are often used as a marker of decompression stress in humans, with a specificity of 100% even though the sensitivity is poor [1]. Being non-invasive, portable and non-ionizing, ultrasound is particularly suited to regular and repeated monitoring. Read More

Eur J Ophthalmol 2021 Feb 24:1120672121995101. Epub 2021 Feb 24.

Asociación para Evitar la Ceguera Hospital IAP Dr Luis Sánchez Bulnes, Mexico City, Mexico.

Introduction: The purpose of this study is to report a case of venous-air embolism during a vitrectomy for endoresection of choroidal melanoma.

Case Description: A 31-year-old man went to the clinic because of photopsias and vision loss in his right eye. On fundoscopy of the right eye, a choroidal mass with an associated retinal detachment was found near the inferotemporal vascular arcade. Read More

Turk Neurosurg 2021 ;31(2):290-295

Hatay State Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery, Hatay, Turkey.

The mediobasal temporal region (MTR) is a deep part of the brain covered by eloquent structures. In certain cases, accessing this region is challenging. According to the literature, the supracerebellar transtentorial (SCTT) approach provides safe access to the MTR. Read More

Acta Anaesthesiol Scand 2021 May 4;65(5):648-655. Epub 2021 Mar 4.

Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.

Background: Transpulmonary passage of air emboli can lead to fatal brain- and myocardial infarctions. We studied whether pigs with open chest and pericardium had a greater transpulmonary passage of venous air emboli than pigs with closed thorax.

Methods: We allocated pigs with verified closed foramen ovale to venous air infusion with either open chest with sternotomy and opening of the pleura and pericardium (n = 8) or closed thorax (n = 16). Read More

Am J Med Sci 2021 Feb 4. Epub 2021 Feb 4.

Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Ozarks Medical Center, West Plains, MO, USA.

Anesthesiol Clin 2021 Mar 9;39(1):93-111. Epub 2021 Jan 9.

Department of Anesthesiology, University Hospital, University of Michigan Medical School, 1500 East Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5048, USA. Electronic address:

The posterior cranial fossa with its complex anatomy houses key pathways regulating consciousness, autonomic functions, motor and sensory pathways, and cerebellar centers regulating balance and gait. The most common posterior fossa pathologies for which neurosurgical intervention may be necessary include cerebellopontine angle tumors, aneurysms, and metastatic lesions. The posterior cranial fossa can be accessed from variations of the supine, lateral, park-bench, prone, and sitting positions. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2021 Jan;100(4):e23614

Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Eunpyeong St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul.

Introduction: Venous air embolism (VAE) from vascular injuries, is of rare occurrence but can result in catastrophic complications during total hip arthroplasty (THA). Early recognition and prompt management of vascular injury are required to avoid severe complications. Especially, bleeding is generally associated with profound hypotension in venous injury. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2021 Jan 28;14(1). Epub 2021 Jan 28.

Surgery, Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital, Sayre, Pennsylvania, USA.

A 62-year-old man presented as a trauma alert after a farm tractor accident. He was managed according to ATLS protocol. During initial trauma resuscitation, he developed an iatrogenic air embolus. Read More

Case Rep Neurol 2020 Sep-Dec;12(Suppl 1):156-160. Epub 2020 Dec 14.

Department of Medical Imaging and Intervention, Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan.

Cerebral air embolism can be of venous and arterial origin and cause severe medical complication. Vasospasm is a severe complication of carotid artery stenting. We report a 63-year-old male with severe carotid artery stenosis who suddenly died due to acute myocardial infarction during carotid artery stenting. Read More

Acta Neurochir (Wien) 2021 Jan 19. Epub 2021 Jan 19.

Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.

Background: Chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) is a common pathology in neurosurgery, especially in the elderly patients, and its incidence is likely to double in the next decade. Considering various features of CSDH and the procedure itself, a sitting position may retain the best characteristics of classic positioning, while offering additional comfort for both the patient and the surgeon. The aim of this study was to describe the technical aspects of this procedure in the sitting position, to evaluate safety and discuss the benefits and shortcomings of this modification. Read More

CJC Open 2021 Jan 3;3(1):115-117. Epub 2020 Sep 3.

Quebec Heart & Lung Institute, Laval University, Québec City, Québec, Canada.

An air embolism (AE) is a rare but dreaded complication during endovascular procedures. Current guidance recommends hyperbaric oxygen therapy and aspiration for the management of a venous AE. However, the management of an arterial AE is much less described. Read More

J Infect 2021 02 10;82(2):261-269. Epub 2021 Jan 10.

Respiratory Department, Hospital Universitario y Politécnico La Fe, Valencia, Spain; Medical Research Institute Hospital La Fe (IISLAFE), Valencia, Spain; CIBER de enfermedades respiratorias, Instituto Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.

Objective: To determine the incidence, characteristics, and risk factors of pulmonary embolism (PE) among patients hospitalized for COVID-19.

Patients And Methods: We performed a prospective observational study of a randomly selected cohort of consecutive patients hospitalized for COVID-19 infection between March 8, 2020 through April 25, 2020. All eligible patients underwent a computed tomography pulmonary angiography independently of their PE clinical suspicion and were pre-screened for a baseline elevated D-dimer level. Read More

Ulus Travma Acil Cerrahi Derg 2021 01;27(1):151-153

Department of Radiology, Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Medicine, İzmir-Turkey.

Decompression illness (DCI) is a rare condition caused by air bubbles that arise because of a rapid decrease in ambient pressure. These air bubbles exert both physical and chemical effects associated with a range of findings from asymptomatic clinical presentation to death. In the literature, changes in consciousness, severe musculoskeletal and abdominal pain, respiratory distress, and skin changes have been described. Read More

Int J Surg Case Rep 2021 Jan 16;78:296-299. Epub 2020 Dec 16.

Department of Surgery Barack Obama Drive, P. O. Box 2289, Aga Khan Hospital, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Electronic address:

Introduction And Importance: Peripheral venous cannulation is the most common procedure, often performed by junior colleagues. Despite its benign nature, it is associated with extravascular infiltration, thrombophlebitis, hematoma, catheter-associated bloodstream infections, trauma to surrounding structures, including tendon and nerve injures, hematoma formation and air embolism. Fracture of a peripheral intravenous cannula in situ is a rare, potentially serious complication that is underreported. Read More

Cureus 2020 Nov 22;12(11):e11631. Epub 2020 Nov 22.

Cardiovascular Disease, Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami, USA.

Venous air embolism is a rare procedural complication with devastating consequences depending on the amount of air introduced into the body. Herein we present a case of transaortic valve replacement complicated with air embolism leading to cardiopulmonary collapse successfully treated with mechanical circulatory support. Read More

Int J Emerg Med 2020 Nov 30;13(1):59. Epub 2020 Nov 30.

Emergency and Critical Care Medical Center, Osaka Police Hospital, 10-31, Kitayama-cho, Tennoji-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka, 543-0035, Japan.

Background: Air in the venous system may cause vascular air embolism, which is a potentially life-threatening event. The presence of air in venous system after basilar skull fracture is very rare.

Case Presentation: A 77-year-old man fell from a truck bed and suffered head and neck trauma. Read More