Fat embolization and fatal cardiac arrest during hip arthroplasty with methylmethacrylate

This case report describes a cardiac arrest during a cemented hip arthroplasty procedure. Hemodynamic instability during methylmethacrylate use in arthroplasty surgery can be explained by fat embolization rather than the inherent toxicity of the monomer.

A 78-yr-old woman required a cemented hemiarthroplasty for a pathologic left subcapital fracture. The patient's past medical history included stable angina, diet-controlled type II diabetes and metastatic breast cancer. During the cementing of the canal and insertion of the femoral prosthesis, desaturation, hypotension and cardiac arrest occurred. The patient underwent a successful intraoperative resuscitation and was transferred to the intensive care unit where she subsequently developed disseminated intravascular coagulopathy. The patient died 24 hr later and autopsy confirmed the cause of death as fat embolization.

The deleterious cardiovascular effects of methylmethacrylate have been discussed in the literature. However, clinical evidence supports fat embolization during arthroplasty surgery as a greater determinant of hemodynamic compromise. Surgical precautions are paramount in minimizing the sequelae of Bone Implantation Syndrome and anesthetic treatment consists of supportive care.