A Case of Cardiac Arrest Caused by Air Embolism from Routine Root Canal Procedure

Venous air embolism (VAE) occurs when air is introduced into the venous system and subsequently travels into the right heart and pulmonary circulation. VAE mainly occurs from air that is forced by positive pressure or drawn in by negative pressure. We present a rare case of fatal VAE that occurred d...

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Main Authors: Akarsh Parekh, Joel McCormick, Atheer Hussain-Amin, Bryan Barnosky, Matthew Edwards
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center 2022-09-01
Series:Methodist DeBakey Cardiovascular Journal
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Online Access:https://account.journal.houstonmethodist.org/index.php/up-j-mdbcj/article/view/1067
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author Akarsh Parekh
Joel McCormick
Atheer Hussain-Amin
Bryan Barnosky
Matthew Edwards
author_facet Akarsh Parekh
Joel McCormick
Atheer Hussain-Amin
Bryan Barnosky
Matthew Edwards
author_sort Akarsh Parekh
collection DOAJ
description Venous air embolism (VAE) occurs when air is introduced into the venous system and subsequently travels into the right heart and pulmonary circulation. VAE mainly occurs from air that is forced by positive pressure or drawn in by negative pressure. We present a rare case of fatal VAE that occurred during a routine dental root canal procedure. A 69-year-old male was undergoing a root canal procedure at an outpatient dental office under local anesthesia. During the procedure, he went into cardiopulmonary arrest. He was resuscitated, and return of spontaneous circulation was achieved. Thoracic computed tomography was performed and revealed large amounts of air within the right ventricle and portal venous system. VAE should be recognized as a potentially fatal complication resulting from routine dental procedures.
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publishDate 2022-09-01
publisher Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center
record_format Article
series Methodist DeBakey Cardiovascular Journal
spelling doaj-art-3788feced9304bb4947e211bc7a7310d2025-08-20T02:22:16ZengHouston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular CenterMethodist DeBakey Cardiovascular Journal1947-61082022-09-01181687210.14797/mdcvj.1067344A Case of Cardiac Arrest Caused by Air Embolism from Routine Root Canal ProcedureAkarsh Parekh0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0493-7186Joel McCormick1Atheer Hussain-Amin2Bryan Barnosky3Matthew Edwards4Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, McLaren Macomb Medical Center, Mount Clemens, Michigan; Michigan State University, East Lansing, MichiganMichigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan; Department of Internal Medicine, McLaren Macomb Medical Center, Mount Clemens, MichiganMichigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan; Department of Internal Medicine, McLaren Macomb Medical Center, Mount Clemens, MichiganMichigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan; Department of Critical Care Medicine, McLaren Macomb Medical Center, Mount Clemens, MichiganDepartment of Cardiovascular Medicine, McLaren Macomb Medical Center, Mount Clemens, Michigan; Michigan State University, East Lansing, MichiganVenous air embolism (VAE) occurs when air is introduced into the venous system and subsequently travels into the right heart and pulmonary circulation. VAE mainly occurs from air that is forced by positive pressure or drawn in by negative pressure. We present a rare case of fatal VAE that occurred during a routine dental root canal procedure. A 69-year-old male was undergoing a root canal procedure at an outpatient dental office under local anesthesia. During the procedure, he went into cardiopulmonary arrest. He was resuscitated, and return of spontaneous circulation was achieved. Thoracic computed tomography was performed and revealed large amounts of air within the right ventricle and portal venous system. VAE should be recognized as a potentially fatal complication resulting from routine dental procedures.https://account.journal.houstonmethodist.org/index.php/up-j-mdbcj/article/view/1067cardiopulmonary arrestair embolismroot canal proceduredental surgery
spellingShingle Akarsh Parekh
Joel McCormick
Atheer Hussain-Amin
Bryan Barnosky
Matthew Edwards
A Case of Cardiac Arrest Caused by Air Embolism from Routine Root Canal Procedure
Methodist DeBakey Cardiovascular Journal
cardiopulmonary arrest
air embolism
root canal procedure
dental surgery
title A Case of Cardiac Arrest Caused by Air Embolism from Routine Root Canal Procedure
title_full A Case of Cardiac Arrest Caused by Air Embolism from Routine Root Canal Procedure
title_fullStr A Case of Cardiac Arrest Caused by Air Embolism from Routine Root Canal Procedure
title_full_unstemmed A Case of Cardiac Arrest Caused by Air Embolism from Routine Root Canal Procedure
title_short A Case of Cardiac Arrest Caused by Air Embolism from Routine Root Canal Procedure
title_sort case of cardiac arrest caused by air embolism from routine root canal procedure
topic cardiopulmonary arrest
air embolism
root canal procedure
dental surgery
url https://account.journal.houstonmethodist.org/index.php/up-j-mdbcj/article/view/1067
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