Cerebral Air Embolism during Open Heart Surgery with Cardiopulmonary Bypass: A Case Report

Abstract

Cerebral air embolism is an unusual event that is mainly an iatrogenic cause, such as open heart surgery. We present a case of cerebral air embolism in a patient undergoing ASD patch repair with cardiopulmonary bypass. He had a status epilepticus, loss of consciousness and marked left limb weakness immediately after the operation. Diffusion-weighted MRI with angiography showed acute infarction in right entire hemisphere with patent internal carotid and intracranial arteries, and glucose PET brain scan showed severe decreased uptakes in right hemisphere. He recovered markedly with mild motor impairment of left upper and lower limbs in the 6 months after onset.