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- David K Doostan, Sandra L Steffenson, and Eric R Snoey.
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Alameda County Medical Center, Highland Hospital, 1411 E. 31st Street, Oakland, CA 94602, USA.
- J Emerg Med. 2003 Jul 1; 25 (1): 29-34.
AbstractUncooperative but alert on arrival, a 21-year-old suicidal man was found suddenly unconscious with agonal respirations 2 h into his Emergency Department evaluation. Initially admitted for ingesting multiple pills and self-inflicting a deep wrist laceration, the patient now had a Glasgow Coma Scale score of 3, a dense left-sided hemiplegia, and an electrocardiogram suggestive of acute myocardial infarction. This constellation of physical findings, together with an echocardiogram revealing bi-ventricular gas artifact, led to a diagnosis of coronary and cerebral air emboli. The patient was urgently resuscitated and then underwent hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Subsequent examination confirmed a full recovery. This article details this unprecedented case, as well as clinically relevant aspects of air embolism.
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