J Anesth Perioper Med. 2019;6(1):35-39. https://doi.org/10.24015/ebcmed.japm.2019.0005
From the Department of Anesthesiology, the First People’ s Hospital of Beilun District, Ningbo, China.
Correspondence to Dr. Yunfei Cao at caoyunfeicn@sina.com.
EBCMED ID: ebcmed.japm.2019.0005 DOI: 10.24015/ebcmed.japm.2019.0005
One of the catastrophic complications of operative hysteroscopy is venous gas embolism (VGE), and this event could cause morbidity and in serious cases lead to death. Here we present a rare case with a sudden cardiac arrest caused by VGE during hysteroscopic surgery. Fortunately, our vigilant anesthesiologist noticed the early change of VGE with a sudden drop in end-tidal CO2 (EtCO2), and as the cardiac arrest occurred, we quickly took interventional maneuvers including termination of the surgical procedure, adjustment of the patient's position, cardiac resuscitation, continuous chest compression, and correction of internal environment disorder. Finally, the patient had an uneventful recovery without any neurological deficits. This case report emphasizes that early detection and timely intervention can prevent life-threatening VGE associated with a sudden cardiac arrest during hysteroscopy even in primary hospitals.
Article Type
Case Report
Declaration of Interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
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