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Fatal Fulminant Fat Embolism Syndrome in Adult Spine Deformity Surgery: A Case Report
Janez Mohar1,2
1Department of Spine Surgery, Valdoltra Orthopedic Hospital, Ankaran, Slovenia.
Case:
A 68-year-old woman was scheduled to undergo elective correction of coronal spinal malalignment after a previous lumbar instrumented fusion. In the final stages of the operation, the patient became hemodynamically unstable. Her systemic condition worsened subsequently, leading to cardiac arrest followed by unsuccessful resuscitation. An autopsy revealed a massive fat embolism in the lungs.
Conclusions:
The diagnosis of fat embolism syndrome (FES) is clinical, and treatment is supportive, with no clinical or investigative criteria that can facilitate diagnosis in a patient under general anesthesia. This is the first description of FES in adult spinal deformity surgery.
