title: Systemic air embolism in an extremely low birthweight infant treated with high-frequency oscillatory ventilation.
abstract: An extremely low birthweight infant in whom systemic air embolism occurred during high-frequency oscillatory ventilation is reported. He was delivered at 25 weeks and 6 days gestation weighing 600 g. He was diagnosed as having respiratory distress syndrome and had intermittent mandatory ventilation. At 2 days of age, there was pulmonary hemorrhage and high-frequency oscillatory ventilation was 22 cmH2O. At 9 days of age, X-ray film revealed air in the intracardiac cavity and major systemic vessels. Systemic air embolism can occur in an extremely low birthweight infant having high-frequency oscillatory ventilation with a mean airway pressure of 22 cmH2O or higher.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Gunma Children's Medical Center, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Maruyama
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Koizumi
mesh_terms: D004618:Embolism, Air / Q000209:etiology*; D006612:High-Frequency Ventilation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight; D008297:Male; D012127:Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn / Q000628:therapy