Systemic air embolism secondary to respiratory therapy in the neonate: six cases including one survivor

Systemic air embolism has been described as a complication of respiratory therapy using positive pressure ventilation. This is usually a dire, if not fatal occurrence. The incidence of this severe complication will likely increase with the advent of more vigorous and aggressive respiratory therapy of the respiratory distress syndrome in neonates. It is important for both the clinician and the radiologist to be aware of this entity, its etiology, and its probable increasing frequency. This paper reports six cases of systemic air embolism, including one patient who revealed no clinical symptomatology, and in whom the diagnosis was made by radiographic findings only. This is the largest series yet reported and includes, to my knowledge, the first reported neonate to survive this complication.