Infarto encefálico por embolia aérea: Caso clínico

Ischemic stroke due to embolic air is uncommon. There are fewreports of patients with air embolic stroke as a complication of endoscopic procedures. Thetemporal relationship between the stroke and this procedure is the most important clue for thediagnosis. CT scan and MRI of the brain are confirmatory tests. The morbidity and mortality ishigh. Patients should be hospitalized in a critical care service and treated as soon as possiblewith oxygen in a pressure camera. We report a 52 years old woman with an ovarian cancerthat, during an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, had a severe alteration of consciousness thatdid not respond to the use of Flumazenil. A CT scan showed multiple areas of air embolism inthe watershed area between anterior and middle right cerebral arteries. A conservativetreatment was decided and the patients died 48 hours later (Rev Med Chile 2005; 133: 453-6).(