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Article: Special Feature: Air Embolism in Patients with Central Venous Catheters.
- Article from:
- Critical Care Alert
- Article date:
- December 1, 2001
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 A Thomson Healthcare Company. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Special Feature: Air Embolism in Patients with Central Venous Catheters
By Uday Nanavaty, MD
Central venous catheters (CVC) are commonly inserted in patients admitted to the ICU. One of the complications that develop in patients with CVCs is air embolism. This form of embolic phenomenon can be noted during insertion of catheter, when the catheter is in place, and also after the removal of the catheter. It is obviously difficult to have an estimate of the incidence of this complicationvenous air embolism (VAE). However, it is important to recognize it, as it can be fatal if massive amounts of air enter the circulation rapidly. On the other hand, its ...