Venous air embolism during awake craniotomy in a supine patient

To report a non-fatal case of intraoperative venous air embolism (VAE) during an awake craniotomy. VAE presented with unusual clinical features.

VAE during an awake craniotomy has not been reported frequently. The patient we describe presented with persistent coughing followed by tachypnea, hypoxia and reduction in end-tidal CO(2) during dural opening while undergoing an awake craniotomy in the supine position. Cardiovascular variables were stable during the episode except for transient hypertension. Having ruled out airway obstruction and low cardiac output, we concluded that air embolism was the cause. The patient responded immediately to the standard treatment of air embolism and recovered without any complication.

This case illustrates a VAE during an awake craniotomy and emphasizes the importance of early diagnosis in the management.