Air Embolism

Question 1

What is an Air Embolism?

Answer 1

Air bubbles enter the blood stream and are carried to a vessel small enough to be blocked by the air

Question 2

What are the causes?

Answer 2

Unarmed air detector, empty saline bags, leak or loose connection in circuit, unclamped catheter lumen, under-filling of drip chambers, residual air from poor priming, manufacturer defect in needle or blood tubing.

Question 3

What are the symptoms?

Answer 3

Visible air in venous line, chest tightness or pain, dyspnea and coughing, cyanosis, restlessness and confusion, visual disturbances, convulsions/seizures, cardiac arrest

Question 4

What is the intervention?

Answer 4

Stop blood pump, clamp the arterial and venous blood lines, and do not return blood to the patient
Place patient in trendelenburg position on left side
contact EMS and physician
Administer oxygen per physician order
observe for and treat symptoms of respiratory distress or possible cardio/pulmonary arrest
disconnect patient’s clamped arterial and venous access from clamped blood lines. Attach syringe to arterial access and draw labs as ordered, then reclamp arterial access and attach new sterile syringe to arterial access
attach 10 ml syringe to venous access, unclamp and aspirate 10ml from venous access then reclamp venous access. discard syringe and attach new sterile syringe to venous access

Question 5

What is the prevention?

Answer 5

Verify all connections are secure at all times