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Fatal Venous Air Embolism Following Intravenous Infusion *
Author(s) -
Agarwal Swapnil Sudhirkumar,
Kumar Lavlesh,
Chavali Krishnadutt Harishankar,
Mestri Shashidhar Chennamallapa
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of forensic sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.715
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1556-4029
pISSN - 0022-1198
DOI - 10.1111/j.1556-4029.2009.01004.x
Subject(s) - medicine , accidental , cannula , respiratory distress , surgery , pulmonary embolism , complication , anesthesia , air embolism , embolism , cause of death , physics , disease , acoustics
Venous air embolism has been reported as a complication of invasive diagnostic and therapeutic procedures or accidental trauma. Little is known about the incidence of air embolism after minimal intravenous manipulations such as the insertion of a peripheral intravenous cannula. Only when large amounts of air sufficient enough to block the cardiovascular system enter, the patient develops symptoms and signs of severe neurological injury, cardiovascular collapse, or death. The dead body of a 14‐year‐old boy was brought for postmortem examination with allegations of death from negligence during treatment. He was treated for pain in the abdomen in a hospital by attendants in telephonic consultation with a medical practitioner. Following intravenous infusions, the boy died suddenly in respiratory distress. Gross findings indicated the death to be from venous air embolism. Chemical analysis, histopathology, and microbiology ruled out other causes of death. Dilemmas of the case with difficulties in diagnosis are being presented herewith.