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Fatal venous air embolism in a cat with a retropharyngeal diverticulum
Christopher P Ober1, Tim C Spotswood, Robert Hancock
1Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, USA. ober@vt.edu
Abstract:
A cat with a 1-year history of oropharyngeal foreign bodies was diagnosed with a pharyngeal diverticulum. The cat experienced fatal cardiac arrest during endoscopy, and postmortem radiographs and ultrasound revealed venous air embolism. Venous air embolism is uncommonly reported in veterinary medicine, but is a risk during any procedure that introduces air into a body cavity. Precautions should be taken during these procedures to help minimize the risk of adverse events.
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