Unexpectedly detected air bubbles in left ventricle during off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting: a case report.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Unlike on-pump beating coronary artery bypass grafting, off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB) rarely causes intracardiac air embolisms. However, there have been several reports of air embolisms that occurred during OPCAB using a CO₂ blower, which is commonly used to facilitate visualization of the anastomotic site. Herein, we describe a rare case of air bubbles detected only in the left ventricle during OPCAB.

Case presentation

A 72-year-old man visited our hospital due to a myocardial infarction. Because of diffuse tight stenosis of the coronary artery, urgent OPCAB was performed under median sternotomy. After successful grafting, a significant number of air bubbles were detected in the left ventricle but not in the right side of the heart.

SUBMITTER: Sim Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11661038 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature