Air in the IV, “Doctor, this isn’t dangerous, is it?” What happens if you introduce air into a vein? If air gets into a vein, what happens?

In medicine, there is such a thing as an air embolism. It occurs when air enters an artery and blocks blood flow to an important organ (brain or heart). Let's consider how dangerous this is and what will happen if air is injected into a vein.

What happens if air is injected into a vein during an intravenous injection or intravenous drip?

Probably everyone has been given an intravenous injection at least once in their life, as a result of which an involuntary thought arose about the possibility of an air bubble getting into a vein. What can we say about the IV, especially when you see that very “scary” bubble that moves towards the hand.

To begin with, it should be noted that for a death to occur as a result of such manipulations, a fairly large volume of air is required. In the medical community, it is believed that for this it is necessary to introduce at least ten milliliters of air. In this case, it should immediately penetrate into large arteries and block the flow of blood.

In addition, during the injection, the arm into which the medicine is injected intravenously is below the level of the heart. The air will dissolve faster than it will rise to the vital organs.

The question arises, why then so carefully remove all the air before injection? The fact is that the entry of air bubbles makes the injection “painful”, i.e. the patient feels discomfort and pain at the injection site. Of course, the symptoms go away over time, but small bruises may remain at the injection site.

During the insertion of the droppers, they also carefully knock out all the air from the tube through which the medicine will flow. Even after its completion, as a result of the difference in pressure in the IV tube and in the vein, air will not be able to enter the latter.

What happens if air is injected into a vein? In what cases is this dangerous?

There are some circumstances that can result in air entering a vein, which can lead to death.

For example, if there is a wound or injury in the chest or neck, the air will very quickly be sucked into the circulatory system and simply rupture it. This will happen because the neck is higher than the level of the heart, and the pressure in the thoracic region is lower than the surrounding pressure.

In the same way, an embolism can occur during surgery, as air is quickly sucked into the blood vessels.

If we talk about childbirth, then during the contraction of the uterus, air is also quickly absorbed into its vena cava. Moreover, in all cases large volumes of air are pumped in. All such cases are mostly fatal.

Other cases of large amounts of air entering the circulatory system

Another possibility of air entering the blood is a sudden change in pressure, resulting in overload for the body. This can happen to those people who go deep underwater (divers, those who dive) or rise high into the air (pilots).

This is justified by the fact that pressure changes must occur slowly. Otherwise, the blood “boils” in the blood vessels.

This means that bubbles of nitrogen (or other gases) are formed, which clog the alveoli after entering the pulmonary circulation, without having time to be eliminated through the lungs. This is how caisson disease occurs. The symptoms of this disease are as follows:

weakness of the body;
bleeding from the ears or nose;
possible loss of orientation;
paralysis or numbness of the limbs may occur;
loss of consciousness, vomiting, etc.

When diagnosing this disease, it is necessary to immediately place the person in a pressure chamber in order to avoid serious consequences.

So, let's summarize. For death to occur from an air embolism, much more air than a couple of bubbles must enter the vein. So with a little care you should be fine (as long as it's not intentional).

How? You haven't read yet:

To avoid hospitalization, many patients are ready to make any sacrifice, even self-injections at home. This is where the main problems begin that are associated with finding medical personnel who will perform procedures at home. If it is not possible to find a specialist, then most patients begin to inject themselves, which may be associated with some problems.

What happens if air is injected intravenously?

Air entering a vein is one of the most favorite scenarios of literary detectives. Evidence of murder is difficult to find; as a rule, the pathologist does not see a trace of an injection on the body and the fun begins... So, really, is it possible to die if injection safety precautions are violated? Or if air gets into a vein?

It's actually not that simple. Nothing good can be expected from air entering a vein, but death is unlikely. When air enters a vein during injection, a so-called air embolism develops, which, of course, can be fatal, but it all depends on the volume of gas injected. Since, for death to occur, air must enter an artery, and a large one. And the volume must be large in order to completely block its duct.

The term embolism refers to the presence of any large moving obstruction in the bloodstream. In an air embolism, the obstruction will be an air bubble. By the way, this is precisely the scenario in which decompression sickness develops. Symptoms of an air embolism include dizziness, tingling or numbness in the area where the air bubble is advancing, and in very severe cases, when the gas bubble is large, paralysis can form.

Air embolism is not fatal in most cases, but is unpleasant. For these reasons, in order to avoid such consequences, all medical personnel strictly ensure that no air remains in the syringe/system. Moreover, modern devices for intravenous infusions are equipped with security systems.

What happens if you inject air intramuscularly?

As a rule, this is the most common mistake of all beginners. The entry of air during an intramuscular injection does not pose a threat to the health, much less the life of the patient.

Scenario 2 scenario - air gets into the muscle or into the vessel. If the gas penetrates the muscle, the body will cope with the problem on its own, and the patients themselves simply do not notice it. But you should not abuse the reserve and restorative forces for the body.

If an air bubble gets into the vessel and it is large enough, it may become clogged. But this will not cause any harm to the body, except for blocking the capillary and the formation of a bump or bruise.

How to give an injection correctly: description

Ideally, it is necessary to entrust this procedure to professionals who have completed special courses. If this is not possible, but an injection must be given, then you must adhere to the following rules.

Intramuscular injection

Any injection begins with preliminary preparation, namely hand washing and preparation of instruments. After washing your hands under running water, you can begin preparing the injection solution. You need to start by preparing ampoules, which must first be treated with an alcohol solution.
Only after this can you open the ampoule and the package with the syringe. When assembling the syringe, you need to hold the needle by the cannula and put it on it, only then remove the protective cap.
Having drawn the solution into the syringe, you need to get rid of all air bubbles and release a couple of drops of the solution - thereby getting rid of oxygen in the needle.
Having prepared the solution, you can proceed directly to the intramuscular injection. The selected buttock for injection must be visually divided into 4 quadrants and injected into the upper right corner, having previously treated the injection site with alcohol wipes.
It is necessary to insert ¾; it is not advisable to insert a full needle, since there is a high risk that it will break off.
It is necessary to introduce the solution slowly. After insertion, clamp the injection site with an alcohol wipe and pull the needle out at a right angle. The procedure is completed.

Intravenous injection

Preparation for the procedure is similar to preparation for intramuscular injections, with the only difference being that a system can be used instead of a syringe. There should also be no air in the system.
Afterwards, you need to choose the right vein, namely a contoured one - easily visible, which protrudes above the skin and has the greatest thickness. The patient's arm should be in a straight position and the patient should be comfortable.
Next, you need to apply a tourniquet above the elbow bend on the full palm, fixing the tourniquet, the patient must make several movements to compress and unclench the fist. Thus, the veins “swell” and are easier to see.
Having chosen the injection site, it is necessary to treat the area with an alcohol solution. In one hand there is a syringe, the other hand should fix the skin in the area of the elbow. The hand in which the syringe is located should be at an acute angle to the vein, after which an injection is made and the needle is inserted into the vein to 1/3 of its length. At the same time, the patient clenches his fist.
When injecting, you feel the needle sinking. In order to make sure that the needle is in the vein, you need to slightly pull the syringe plunger towards you, blood will be drawn into the solution. Only then can we continue.
While the needle is in the vein, it is necessary to remove the tourniquet, and the patient unclenches his fist, and a slow injection of the solution begins. Various solutions have some restrictions on administration - jet, drip, respectively, it is necessary to administer the medicine in accordance with these characteristics.
As soon as the solution has been introduced, it is necessary to press the needle with a cotton swab and carefully pull it out. The patient should bend his arm at the elbow and hold it in this position for several minutes. This will form a blood clot and stop bleeding.

Probably, at least once in your life you have happened to go through such a not too painful, but still unpleasant situation as an intravenous injection. At this tense moment, many people have an alarming thought that air may get into the vein. Numerous detective series come to mind, where cunning villains committed murders in this way, leaving virtually no traces. What happens if you actually inject air into a vein?

In real life, everything is somewhat simpler and more prosaic than in the TV series. For a fatal outcome, you do not need a tiny air bubble, but a fairly large volume (about 10 milliliters). In addition, it can cause death only if it immediately penetrates large arteries and blocks the flow of blood.

What happens during the injection?

Please note that the arm is below the level of the heart during the injection. Thanks to this, the air will be absorbed before it rises to the vital organs.

By the way, in detective films and novels, insidious killers usually inject small vessels into the air, but in practice it is very, very difficult to get into them - almost impossible. In addition, the injection site that no one sees is another literary and cinematic myth. To discover it, you don’t even need to be the most brilliant of criminologists or a luminary of forensic medicine. After the death of a person, it becomes dark, and a light halo appears around him. So the average forensic expert will quickly find him and understand the cause of death.

But if everything is so simple, then why does the medical staff always try to remove the air before the injection? In fact, those same “ominous” air bubbles make the injection painful. The patient may feel discomfort and a bruise may remain at the injection site.

Dangerous situations

What happens if for some reason air does get into the artery? This causes a condition called air embolism. Its essence is that the blood flow is blocked. The air plug blocks the movement of blood along the vascular bed and, having created a bubble, wanders through the arteries. The air spreads in parts through small vessels, right up to the capillaries. Since the capillary network provides blood supply to all organs and systems, due to an air embolism, a vital part of the body may be isolated. The likely consequences are heart attack and stroke.

Under what circumstances can such an amount of air enter a vein that is actually sufficient to cause death? This is possible with wounds and injuries to the neck or chest. These situations are dangerous because the neck is above the level of the heart, and in the thoracic region the pressure is lower than in the environment. In this case, air is quickly absorbed into the circulatory system and simply breaks it.

During childbirth, during contractions of the uterus, air can enter its vena cava. In this case, it will be absorbed very quickly.

A phenomenon called pulmonary barotrauma occurs in the following situation: a diver runs out of air, holds his breath in panic and quickly rushes to the surface. As you ascend, the pressure decreases and the air in your lungs expands. The lungs become overfilled and the alveoli may rupture as a result. In this case, air from the lungs will pass into the blood vessels and can provoke an air embolism.

Such cases are mostly fatal. But ordinary intravenous injection has nothing to do with them.

There is no point in being afraid of a tiny air bubble, but this does not mean that you can deliberately inject a full syringe of air into a vein. There is no consensus on what minimum amount of air can actually cause death.

Some believe that 10 cubes is enough, others call the figure 50 or even more. But nevertheless, you should not experiment and test experimentally what will happen if you inject air into a vein. If the ingress of a small amount of air happened accidentally, for example, when you injected yourself with medicine at home, then it is best not to panic, not to listen to the horror stories of relatives and friends, but to seek advice from a doctor who will calmly and reasonably explain everything to you.

How to give an intravenous injection correctly?

It is believed that only drug addicts give themselves intravenous injections, and ordinary people trust this difficult task to medical personnel. But various emergency situations happen in life, and sometimes the fate and life of a person depends on how quickly the injection is given. Therefore, it is better to know, at least in theory, how to give an intravenous injection correctly.

Of course, it is necessary to follow standard hygiene rules: wash your hands, use only disposable or sterilized instruments, and treat the skin at the injection site. Typically, the veins of the cubital fossa are used for such injections. They are quite large in size, in addition, the layer of skin in this area is quite thin, so this approach is the simplest and most convenient. But injections can also be given in other places (for example, in the veins of the hand or forearm).

You need to draw the medicine into a syringe, make sure there are no air bubbles, and put the cap on the needle. The patient sits or lies down, fully extending the arm at the elbow joint. A tourniquet is applied to the middle of his shoulder. The patient needs to clench and unclench his fist several times to allow blood to fill the veins.

The skin treated with alcohol is stretched in the area of the elbow and slightly shifted to the side. The syringe must be held so that the needle is located at an acute angle to the vein. When the skin is punctured, the needle is inserted a third of the way. At the same time, the patient clenches his fist. When the vein is punctured, you can slightly pull the syringe plunger towards yourself. If blood appears in it, then everything is fine. Now you need to untie the tourniquet, while the patient unclenches his fist.

The drug is administered slowly, then the injection site is pressed with cotton wool moistened with alcohol. Now you can remove the needle. The patient should bend his arm at the elbow for several minutes, holding the cotton wool with alcohol at the injection site.

It is believed that if air gets into the vein, death will occur. How is it really? Does such a danger exist?

Air embolism

Blockage of a blood vessel by an air bubble is called an air embolism. The possibility of such a phenomenon has long been considered in medicine, and it is indeed life-threatening, especially if such a plug is in a large artery. At the same time, according to doctors, the risk of death when air bubbles enter the blood is very small. In order for the vessel to become clogged and serious consequences to develop, at least 20 cubic meters must be injected. cm of air, and it should immediately enter the large arteries.

Lethal outcome is rare if the body’s compensatory capabilities are small and help was not provided in a timely manner.

Air getting into vessels is especially dangerous in the following cases:

during heavy operations;
during pathological childbirth;
for severe wounds and injuries when large vessels are damaged.

If the bubble completely closes the lumen of the artery, an air embolism will develop.

What happens when air gets in?

The bubble can block the movement of blood through the vessels and leave any area without blood supply. If the plug gets into the coronary vessels, a myocardial infarction develops; if it gets into the vessels supplying blood to the brain, a stroke occurs. Such severe symptoms are observed in only 1% of people who have air in their bloodstream.

But the plug will not necessarily close the lumen of the vessel. It can move along the bloodstream for a long time, partly entering smaller vessels, then into capillaries.

When air enters the bloodstream, a person may experience the following symptoms:

If these were small bubbles, this will not affect your well-being and health in any way. The only thing that may appear is bruising and lumps at the injection site.
If more air gets in, a person may feel dizziness, malaise, and numbness in the areas where air bubbles move. A short-term loss of consciousness is possible.
If you inject 20 cc. cm of air or more, the plug can clog blood vessels and disrupt the blood supply to organs. Rarely, death may occur from a stroke or heart attack.

If small air bubbles enter a vein, bruising may occur at the injection site.

For injections

Should I be afraid of air getting into the vein during injections? We have all seen how a nurse, before giving an injection, clicks the syringe with her fingers so that one bubble is formed from small bubbles, and with a piston pushes out not only air, but also a small part of the medicine. This is done to completely remove the bubbles, although the amount that gets into the syringe when taking the injection solution is not dangerous for a person, especially since the air in the vein will dissolve before it reaches the vital organ. But they release it, rather, for the purpose of making it easier to administer the medicine and the injection less painful for the patient, because when an air bubble penetrates a vein, the person experiences discomfort, and a hematoma may form at the injection site.

The entry of small air bubbles into a vein through a syringe does not pose a danger to life

Through an IV

While people take injections more calmly, the drip causes panic in some people, since the procedure is quite long and the medical worker can leave the patient alone. It is not surprising that the patient experiences anxiety because the solution in the dropper will run out before the doctor removes the needle from the vein.

According to doctors, the patients’ concerns are unfounded, since it is impossible to put air into a vein through a drip. Firstly, before inserting it, the doctor performs all the same manipulations to remove air as with a syringe. Secondly, if the medicine runs out, it will not get into the blood vessel in any way, since the pressure in the dropper is not enough for this, while the blood pressure is quite high and it will not allow it to penetrate the vein.

As for even more complex medical equipment, special filtering devices are installed there, and bubbles are removed automatically.

A dropper is a reliable device for intravenous infusion of medications. Penetration of air into the vein through it is impossible, even if the liquid runs out

To avoid unpleasant consequences when administering drugs intravenously, it is best to adhere to some rules:

Seek medical care from institutions with a good reputation.
Avoid self-administration of medications, especially if such skills are lacking.
Do not give injections or give IVs to people who do not have professional training.
When forced to carry out procedures at home, carefully remove air from the dropper or syringe.

Conclusion

It is impossible to say unequivocally whether air entering the bloodstream is dangerous. This depends on the individual case, the number of bubbles trapped and how quickly medical attention was provided. If this happened during medical procedures, hospital staff will immediately notice this and take all necessary measures to prevent danger.

They took a blood test from a vein and air got in there. I didn't know about this because I don't know much about it. But the vein was very painful and there was a bruise. I was later told at home that it was air that got in. The vein hurt for a very long time and the bruise did not go away for a long time. But then, after about a month, my blood pressure began to rise significantly, although my blood pressure is always low. The arm where the test was taken also hurt a lot and the pain was floating with numbness. Is this due to air getting into the blood?

No, not related. Well, there’s no way air can get in when taking blood. He takes it into a vacuum tube, where the pressure is negative and the blood itself flows into the tube due to blood pressure.

This is already nonsense. When drawing blood, no way can air get in, because they pull back the piston and, due to pressure, the blood flows into the syringe, but they don’t push anything into the vein. And a bruise most often occurs if you pull the piston with great force or if you pull the needle out of the vein before removing the tourniquet. So don't make things up.

What if an air bubble gets into the dropper tube and moves in the solution before the solution runs out?

It’s unlikely that anything bad will happen, I did this myself with an IV and everything is fine.

We installed it a bunch of times and the solution always stopped in the middle of the tube + -

And if the medicine gets into the capillaries, what will happen?

I don’t know what will happen if air gets in through the injection? But I know one thing for sure, the heroes are new drug addicts, and they let their solution past the vein and with air, and at the same time they do not soak the injection site or the needle in alcohol, and they use one syringe 5 times, and they are alive! And probably healthy.

Hello, please tell me. I'm learning to take blood from a vein. The veins are bad, it didn’t work the first time, and during the first injection I pulled back the piston, was not in the vein and returned the piston to its original position without pulling out the needle. Will there be any consequences?

Two meters underground will fix it, nothing will happen.))))))

All lies, I just injected myself with 12 cubic meters and nothing.

I shouldn't have entered it. Yesterday I gave an injection and some air got in (0.3 ml). Feelings: tinnitus, dizziness. In short, it's not worth the risk.

When an injection solution is drawn into a syringe, there is a risk that air bubbles will get into it. Before administering the drug, the physician must release them.

Many patients are afraid that air may enter their blood vessels through an IV or syringe. Is this situation dangerous? What happens if air gets into the vein? You can find out about this by reading this article.

What happens when air gets into a vein?

The situation when a gas bubble enters a vessel and blocks blood circulation is called an air embolism in medical terminology. This happens in rare cases.

If a person has a cardiovascular disease or air bubbles have entered large arteries and veins in large quantities, then pulmonary circulation may be blocked. In this case, gases begin to accumulate in the right part of the heart muscle and stretch it. This could end in death.

It is very dangerous to inject air into an artery in large quantities. The lethal dose is about 20 milligrams.

If you introduce it into any large vessel, it will lead to serious consequences that can lead to death.

Air entering the vessels can be fatal during:

surgical intervention;
complications during delivery;
in case of damage to large veins or arteries (trauma, injury).

Air is also sometimes introduced through intravenous injection through a drip. However, according to experts, this condition is not dangerous.

If you inject a small bubble of gas into a vein, no dangerous consequences will be observed. It usually dissolves in cells and does no harm. However, bruising in the area of the puncture is possible.

How does it manifest itself?

An air bubble may appear in large vessels. With this phenomenon, there is no blood supply in a certain area, since the vascular lumen is blocked.

In some cases, the plug moves through the bloodstream and enters the capillaries.

When air is introduced into a blood vessel, the following symptoms may occur:

small seals in the puncture area;
bruises in the injection area;
general weakness;
joint pain;
dizziness;
headaches;
a feeling of numbness in the area where the airlock is advancing;
clouding of consciousness;
fainting;
rashes on the skin;
dyspnea;
wheezing in the sternum;
increased heart rate;
a sharp drop in pressure;
swelling of veins;
pain in the chest.

In rare cases, with a particularly dangerous condition, symptoms may include paralysis and seizures. These signs indicate that an artery in the brain is blocked by a large air plug.

For these symptoms, the person is listened to with a stethoscope to confirm the diagnosis. Diagnostic methods such as ultrasound, electrocardiography, mass spectrometry, and capnography are also used.

If you inject a large amount of air into a vein, the blood supply is disrupted. This can trigger a heart attack or stroke.

If small bubbles enter, this is almost always asymptomatic, since the air in this case usually resolves. When an injection is given intravenously, sometimes a few bubbles enter the vessel, resulting in a bruise or hematoma at the puncture site.

Actions in case of air bubbles from a dropper or syringe

After drawing up the injectable medicine, specialists release the air from the syringe. That is why its bubbles rarely enter the veins.

When a drip is made and the solution in it runs out, the patient begins to worry about the possibility of air getting into the vein. However, doctors say that this cannot happen. This is justified by the fact that before this medical manipulation, the air is removed, as with an injection.

In addition, the pressure of the medicine is not as high as that of blood, which prevents gas bubbles from entering the vein.

If air enters a vein through an IV or injection, the patient needs to receive medical attention. Usually, specialists immediately notice what happened and take the necessary actions to prevent the risk of dangerous consequences.

If an excessive number of bubbles enter and a severe air embolism occurs, treatment is carried out in a hospital setting.

The following measures may be taken:

Inhalations with oxygen.
Hemostasis by surgery.
Treatment of damaged vessels with saline solution.
Oxygen therapy in a pressure chamber.
Aspiration of air bubbles using a catheter.
Medicines that stimulate the functioning of the cardiac system.
Steroids (for cerebral edema).

If blood circulation is impaired, cardiopulmonary resuscitation is necessary, in which chest compressions and artificial respiration are performed.

After treatment for air embolism, the patient remains under medical supervision for some time. This is necessary in order to avoid health risks.

Danger of entering a vein

In some cases, the penetration of bubbles into the vessels is dangerous, as it leads to various serious complications.

If they penetrate in large quantities, and even into a large vessel (artery), then in this situation death can occur. Death usually occurs as a result of cardiac embolism. The latter is due to the fact that a plug forms in a vein or artery, which clogs it. This pathology also provokes a heart attack.

If the bubble enters the cerebral vessels, a stroke or cerebral edema may occur. Pulmonary thromboembolism may also develop.

With timely help, the prognosis is usually favorable. In this case, the air lock quickly resolves, and negative consequences can be prevented.

Sometimes residual processes may develop. For example, when cerebral vessels are blocked, paresis develops.

Prevention

To prevent dangerous complications, the following recommendations must be followed:

Perform injections and IVs in a hospital setting.
Seek help from specialists.
Do not administer medications by injection yourself.
If there is a need to give an IV or an injection at home, then it is necessary to carefully remove air bubbles.

These rules will help avoid unwanted gas bubbles entering the blood vessels and prevent dangerous consequences.

So, introducing air into a vessel is not always dangerous. However, if an air bubble gets into the artery, it will be bad. A dose of about 20 milliliters is considered lethal.

If there are fewer hits, then there is still a possibility of developing severe consequences that can lead to death. A small amount usually results in a large bruise on the arm.

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What happens if air gets into the vein when an IV is used?

There is not much chance that air from the intravenous drug system will enter the bloodstream. The other day I read on a forum of forensic experts that in order for an air embolism clinic to occur, about a ml of air must enter the blood. This applies to peripheral veins. If air enters through large veins (subclavian or neck veins), then embolism will occur with smaller amounts of air.

You will probably have to try very hard to get air from the IV into the vein. But perhaps if you come up with droppers so that the medicine is delivered from them under pressure. 5-6 atmospheres, I think it will be enough))

But this is basically impossible by gravity. According to the law of communicating vessels, the medicine that flows into the vein through the tube stops approximately cm above the level of the patient’s body. And accordingly, bypassing the medicine, air, even with a very strong desire, will not enter the blood.

Even small bubbles in a dropper (it’s called an infusion system) stick to the walls and don’t move anywhere, and if the system runs out of solution, the pressure of your blood will not let air out of the system. But a problem may arise if a new bottle of medicine is connected and the air is not released, then it is really dangerous. And large volumes of air must enter the vein to cause death.

I, too, when I was in the hospital, was afraid that when changing the bottle of medicine, air might get into the IV. And then I found out that a drop of air is not enough to stop the heart, you need ten cubic meters :)

Consequences of air entering a vein

An air bubble trapped in a vein can cause it to become blocked. This condition is called an air embolism. Under what circumstances can it occur, what danger does it pose to human life and health?

Air can penetrate into a vein only if it is punctured - a puncture. Accordingly, this can happen when performing such manipulations as intravenous administration of drugs using a syringe or dropper. Many patients during such procedures are afraid of air entering the venous vessels, and their concern has good reason. This is due to the fact that an air bubble blocks the lumen of the channel, thereby disrupting the process of blood microcirculation. That is, the development of embolism occurs. A high risk of severe complications and even death occurs when large arteries are blocked.

Possible consequences

It is believed that if air enters a vein, it will be fatal. Is this true? Yes, this is quite possible, but only if it penetrates a large volume - at least 20 cubes. This cannot happen unintentionally when a drug is administered intravenously. Even if there were air bubbles in the syringe with the drug, the amount was not enough to cause life-threatening consequences. Small plugs dissolve quite quickly under blood pressure and the process of its circulation is immediately restored.

In the event of an air embolism, the risk of death is not high and the prognosis will be favorable, provided that medical care is provided in a timely manner.

Complications of the condition may include the following:

paresis - temporary numbness of an area of the body to which blood flow has become poor due to blockage of the supply vessel by an air bubble;
formation of compaction and blue discoloration at the puncture site;
dizziness;
general malaise;
short-term fainting.

Injection into a vein 20 cc. air can provoke oxygen starvation of the brain or heart muscle, which in turn will lead to the development of a heart attack or stroke.

In the absence of timely medical care, the risk of death of the victim increases. The risk of death increases if air enters a vein during a major surgical procedure, during complicated labor, as well as in case of serious wounds and injuries that are accompanied by damage to large blood vessels.

An air embolism can cause death when the body's compensatory capabilities are insufficient and medical care was not provided in a timely manner.

Air in a vein does not always lead to blockage. Bubbles can move through the bloodstream, penetrating smaller vessels and capillaries. At the same time, they either dissolve or block their lumen, which practically does not affect the general well-being of a person. Severe symptoms occur only when a large volume of air enters large significant blood channels.

Injections and droppers

During the injection process, there is a possibility of air bubbles entering the vein.

To avoid this, nurses shake out the contents of the syringe and release a little medicine before giving the injection. Thus, the accumulated air comes out along with the drug. This is done not only to avoid dangerous consequences, but also to reduce the pain of the injection itself. After all, when an air bubble penetrates a vein, it causes very unpleasant sensations in the patient, as well as the formation of a hematoma in the puncture area. When placing IVs, the likelihood that air will get into the vein is almost zero, since all bubbles are also released from the system.

Conclusion

In order to prevent unwanted complications after injections, you should seek help only from specialized medical institutions, where manipulations are performed by qualified medical personnel. It is not recommended to carry out the procedure yourself or trust it to persons who do not have the necessary skills.

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The information on the site is provided for informational purposes. Do not self-medicate under any circumstances. At the first symptoms of the disease, consult a doctor first.

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Air entered the vein through an IV

If a little air got into a vein through an IV and the person did not die immediately, is there a danger of death from this air in the future?

Thank you, you calmed me down, otherwise I was about to die

Never mind :)

How much is this by eye? :rolleyes:

What if there were a lot of these droppers and there were bubbles every time.

3-4 syringes of 20 ml.

In reality, air embolism is possible in the following cases:

1. Your humble servant (or someone like him) will (probably only after getting drunk) insert a central catheter into a patient with severe dehydration, and at the same time, disconnecting the syringe before inserting the guidewire, with a sadistic smile he will tell the patient: “Now, take a deep breath, yeah several times!" And he will remove the finger that closes the entrance to the needle channel.

2. The patient forgets to close the catheter cap on the same patient.

3. Some descendant of an old Gestapo man will actively inject air with a syringe.

Accidental entry of air from a peripheral vein is impossible in principle.

I’ll add a 4th point: if the syringe in the infusion pump is filled with air, and the air trap is broken.

2. I started working in the r.o. When installing the system, I forgot to bleed the air, about 30 seconds. I tried to figure out why it wasn’t dripping, apparently it would never have dripped, although who knows.

3. The inadequate patient independently removed the plug from the subclavian catheter while apparently sitting up in bed while inhaling. The result was death from air embolism despite all resuscitation measures.

Draw your own conclusions.

1. A drug addict was in intensive care with a subclavian cautery and decided to take his own life. Somewhere I found a 10 ml syringe, and before my eyes, with a satisfied smile, I injected all 11 ml into it. The effect was nothing, and he himself was very surprised.

In general, the examples are clear, thank you.

take and disconnect from the IV and oxygen at the same time.

There are not enough factory-made oxygen therapy systems. Local

craftsmen make them from the same droppers. The patient tried to connect

independently, mixed up the systems and pumped oxygen into the heart. Clinical death occurred. They arrived on time and started it up. Since then, he has been getting out of one complication after another. While he is getting out. "

"Three weeks in the life of a sculptor."

since p.o. The area is quite large; at that moment I was directly next to him and therefore could not interfere with this action. 🙁

The work cited by the respected Reopoliglyukin is published: [Only registered and activated users can see links]

In general, the most important thing is care. Dear doctors, monitor your nurses, train them, encourage and punish them. Much, if not everything, depends on them.

True, of course. Nurses cannot be dismissed. But I would say that it all depends on the system. If a person's life is not worth a penny in her, it is useless, or rather, of little use, raising a worn-out beggar sister. Sorry for the politics.

The only exception to this rule is in patients with right-to-left shunts with paradoxical embolism, but this is rare

Why is injection of air into a vein considered fatal?

After all, air is driven through the veins by red blood cells anyway, why is clean (undissolved) air in the circulatory system considered lethal?

The outcome of gas or air entering the bloodstream depends on the amount and speed of gas penetration into the vessels. With the slow introduction of cm3 of air into the bloodstream, it is almost completely dissolved in the blood. cm3 with rapid entry into the venous system causes a serious condition that ends in death. Death is caused by the fact that air bubbles are transferred by the blood flow to the right atrium and right ventricle, in the cavity of which an air space is formed, plugging its cavity. A large air bubble in the cavity of the right ventricle prevents the flow of blood from the systemic circulation and its transition to the pulmonary circulation. A blockage of the pulmonary circulation occurs, which leads to rapid death.

The absorption of small air bubbles from the wound area, if it occurs gradually, cannot pose a threat, since the clinical and anatomical manifestation of air embolism requires a simultaneous entry into the blood of sufficiently large portions of air. The point, however, is not only in the amount of air and the speed of its entry into the veins, but also in the distance that separates the injection site from the heart.

Clinically, air embolism most often results in sudden death (small circle embolism). Symptoms of pulmonary embolism: a sudden attack of suffocation, cough, blue discoloration of the upper half of the body (cyanosis), a feeling of tightness in the chest. Death occurs from oxygen starvation

To prevent air embolism when disconnecting the syringe from the needle during puncture of the central veins or, if necessary, opening the catheter plug, the patient should be in the Trendelenburg position (the head end of the table is lowered by 25°) or in a horizontal plane and hold his breath as he exhales. If an air embolism develops, the patient is turned on his left side with the head down and the foot end of the bed raised (so that air gets into the veins of the extremities). They try to aspirate air from the catheter using a syringe; the patient is observed and treated in the intensive care unit.

It's the same here - an air bubble will stop the blood flow. The only question is where? If it is in an arm or leg, they will hurt for a long time until the bubble resolves, and if it persists for a very long time, it will end in disability due to tissue atrophy. If in the area of the heart, the heart is unlikely to withstand the blockage of nutrition and will stop. Well, if the air is blocked in the vessels of the brain - death within seconds. Even if you are lucky and too little air gets in to completely block it, you will experience paralysis like a stroke with a poor prognosis.

I had a chance to visit a doctor this week with a request to see to my health regarding a minor complication after the flu. It was decided that I would boost my immunity and suppress bad germs with the help of a dropper and some antiviral drugs. I had never had to deal with IVs before, but here they drew up a whole schedule of visits.

Well lan, it’s necessary - it’s necessary. Let’s go.. I myself am quite a brave person and I’m not afraid of doctors at all, but having watched action movies as a child, it somehow stuck with me that an injection of air into the body (in any part of it) will definitely “move your horses.” So, I’m sitting in the treatment room in a comfortable chair, the dropper is slowly dripping, and then the moment comes when the medicine runs out of the bottle on top, and it stops dripping... I was a little nervous and hinted to the fussing sister that it was time to remove the “foreign” from the body, to which I received the answer:

“Oha.. I see” and 0_o came out. Finding myself alone in the treatment room, without blinking I looked at the catheter through which the fluid was confidently flowing towards my vein. I panicked a little: just in case, I peeled off the adhesive plaster that was holding the needle and prepared to pull it out. At this time, the nurse returned and the first thing she heard in the opened door was: “Please pull it out quickly.” Well, she smiled, did not let me fall into an attack of hysteria and pulled out the needle) After which we had a conversation on the topic...

START
So, having sifted through a bunch of forums, doctors’ recommendations and other things, and also having been convinced at one of the IV sessions PERSONALLY of what is described below, I summarize: It is IMPOSSIBLE to die from the air in the IV running after the medicine in the catheter is running out - IMPOSSIBLE!
It is just as impossible to die from air bubbles that break away from the walls of the syringe/catheter.

Let me explain: the volume of medication administered intravenously through a dropper creates the necessary pressure in the catheter, which pushes it through the needle into the vein. In turn, the vein also has a certain blood pressure, yes, it is not an artery, but there is pressure there, which, in turn, also simply does not allow anything foreign into the vein. So the pressure of the medicine in the filled catheter is enough for it to overcome the venous one. And when the catheter is empty and the medicine runs out, the pressure decreases and the vein stops flowing into itself, leaving liquid in the dropper somewhere at eye level. By the way, in medical schools, as an elective, they teach you to determine the pressure by the distance of the medicine that has not entered. BUT! not everything is so clear...

Unfortunately, trapped air in a vein can actually kill, leading to an "air embolism."
I didn’t delve into the exact terminology and its effect scientifically, but it’s something like a plug in the vessels through which blood cannot pass to the organs and tissues, including the lungs. They say it's not the easiest death...
But then again, “you can break a dick out of stupidity”! Firstly, according to various sources, depending on the characteristics of the body, age and other filtration, this air should be OT (minimum) 7-10 mlcubes for some irreversible!

And this, believe me, is not enough! And the possibility that they will fill a second IV into your catheter with air without “spilling” the entire system again is 1-100,000. This is exactly the same amount that was revealed when recording such accidents in relation to the number of deaths due to medical errors. This is many times less than crashing on a plane. Now they are installing disposable systems.

There is also a syringe option. But again, 7-10 cubes. + you still need to get into the vein, because when it gets into the muscle, the air will dissolve in the blood and exit through the lungs.

In general, have fun!)
I conducted the investigation personally for the same doubters!