Acute right ventricular failure and pulseless electrical activity arrest following auto-transfusion of blood

Air embolism is a rare but potentially catastrophic complication of interventional procedures. The occurrence of acute right ventricular dysfunction during intraoperative auto-transfusion of blood, presumably related to pulmonary embolism of agitated air microbubbles and microthrombi, is less common...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of cardiology cases 2018-04, Vol.17 (4), p.119-122
Main Authors: Agboola, Kolade M., Lasala, John M., Sintek, Marc A., Noheria, Amit
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Auto-transfusion
Cardiac arrest
Cell salvage
Embolism
Microthrombi
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Summary:Air embolism is a rare but potentially catastrophic complication of interventional procedures. The occurrence of acute right ventricular dysfunction during intraoperative auto-transfusion of blood, presumably related to pulmonary embolism of agitated air microbubbles and microthrombi, is less commonly recognized. We report a case of auto-transfusion complicated by acute right ventricular failure and pulseless electrical activity arrest. Auto-transfusion of recovered blood is a practical solution to reduce need for post-procedure allogenic transfusions. Although such interventions are frequently performed without complications, they do have inherent risks that should be readily acknowledged. This case clearly describes a severe complication and sequelae of auto-transfusion.
ISSN:1878-5409
1878-5409
DOI:10.1016/j.jccase.2017.12.002