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Author Spotlight: Expanding Interventional Pulmonology Research with Robotic-Assisted Bronchoscopy
Published on: July 19, 2024
[Coronary Air Embolism after Computed Tomography( CT)-guided Lung Biopsy]
Kenji Kimura1, Norimasa Itou, Masahiro Yoshimura
1Department of Thoracic Surgery, Saiseikai Hyogo Prefectural Hospital, Kobe, Japan.
None:
The patient was a 61-year-old man who was diagnosed with an abnormal chest shadow during a medical examination. A computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a nodular shadow in the left upper lobe, so a lung biopsy was performed for diagnostic purposes. Immediately after the biopsy, the patient experienced chest discomfort and a drop in pulse rate. An electrocardiogram showed ST elevation in Ⅱ, Ⅲ, aVf, and V1-V5. Chest CT revealed air in the right coronary artery and left ventricle, and the patient was diagnosed with air embolism. Morphine hydrochloride hydrate, nitroglycerin, and oxygen were administered. The chest pain improved the next morning. Chest CT performed the day after the examination showed that the air had disappeared. The patient's condition improved, and he was discharged two days after the examination. Coronary artery air embolism occurred after the CT-guided biopsy, but he recovered without serious sequelae.
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