2006-12-10 03:55:09 · 19 answers · asked by stevenhunt007 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Medicine
You have been given several good answers. The dangers of air embolism are real and well understood. As others have noted, a SMALL (5cc-10cc) VENOUS air embolus in the adult patient is unlikely to cause harm before it is absorbed into the blood. Larger volumes of air or pediatric patients increase the risk of morbidity and mortality.
An ARTERIAL air embolus is another matter entirely. It is quite possible for even a small arterial embolus to cause rapid injury or death.
Some people have abnormal connections between their venous and arterial circulations so that what starts as a venous embolus quickly becomes a more serious arterial embolus.
Heart bypass machines are often purged with CO2 (thus displacing air) prior to priming with fluids-Why??? because CO2 is 40x more easily absorbed into fluid than is air so any tiny bubbles accidentally left in the tubing during fluid priming will be less likely to cause embolus before absorption in the blood stream.
2006-12-10 19:26:11 · answer #1 · answered by lampoilman 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is an immediate effect if the air bubble is big enough to be trapped in the vessels. Its called AIR EMBOLISM. Its basically the physical hindrance of the flow of blood through the vessels. If it gets to the brain, you will have a stroke, it gets to the heart , you'll get a heart attack. It acts just like a blood clot. It is very dangerous and can cause death.
Air can get into the bloodstream usually when you inject medication via IV. Air usually is introduced when the IV injection is not prepared properly that air bubbles are still present.
2006-12-10 04:34:15 · answer #2 · answered by coldflesh 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, but it takes a fair amount if injected into a vein.
If air is injected into a vein, it goes to the right side of the heart, and then to the lungs, where it will be absorbed. Small bubbles won't hurt you, and certainly won't "make your heart explode". Large amounts of air in the right heart keep it from pumping blood correctly.
If you have a hole in your heart, or a passage between the two sides of the heart (patent foramen ovale, for example) then the air can get to the arterial side of the circulation, where it can cause problems.
Air in the arterial side of the system acts like a blood clot, and can cause heart attacks if it gets in the coronary circulation, or strokes if it gets in the cerebral circulation.
2006-12-10 04:32:04 · answer #3 · answered by Pangolin 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Air can be injected directly into the veins either accidentally or as a deliberate act. Examples include misuse of a syringe, and industrial injury resulting from use of compressed air. However, despite being employed by writers of fiction as a clandestine method of murder, this is not certain to suddenly stop the heart, nor cause instant death.
2006-12-10 03:56:51 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
We did this experiment in frogs for our physiology class. First off, what is the basic function of blood? To exchange gasses (and waste) in and out of tissues. So yes an air bubble in the blood is not ideal. But we had to put about 5ml of air into a little frog to cause a heart attack. Extrapolate that out to humans and you need one really really big syringe to do this. The biggest risk comes from old pumps for IV lines that just kept pumping away when the fluid in them ran out. Now that could kill someone, but a little syringe? I wouldn't suggest trying it, but it's highly doubtful you would have any problems.
2006-12-10 04:15:24 · answer #5 · answered by c_s_mark 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes. It is called an air embolism and contrary to an earlier answer it only takes a fairly small amount of air. It operates in much the same way as air in a pump (which is what the heart is) and stops it working.
2006-12-10 04:00:20 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Yes but it has to be alot of air, not just a air bubble.
2006-12-10 03:58:04 · answer #7 · answered by cowrepo 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
An air embolism, or more generally gas embolism, is a medical condition caused by gas bubbles in the bloodstream (embolism in a medical context refers to any large moving mass or defect in the blood stream). Small amounts of air often get into the blood circulation accidentally during surgery and other medical procedures, but most of these in veins are stopped at the lungs, and a venous air embolism that shows symptoms is very rare. Death may occur if a large bubble of gas becomes lodged in the heart, stopping blood from flowing from the right ventricle to the lungs (this is similar to vapor lock in engine fuel systems). However, the amount of gas necessary for this to happen is quite variable, and also depends on a number of other factors, such as body position. Gas embolism into an artery, termed arterial gas embolism, or AGE, is a more serious matter than in a vein, since a gas bubble in an artery may directly cause stoppage of blood flow to an area fed by the artery. The symptoms of AGE depend on the area of blood flow, and may be those of stroke or heart attack if the brain or heart (respectively) are affected.
2016-05-23 02:11:54 · answer #8 · answered by Jean 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
YES!! The air travels to your heart and it kills you... I don't know if your heart explodes or what but the result is always death.
2006-12-10 03:58:35 · answer #9 · answered by Danelle 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
are you having any bad thoughts? You shouldn't. life is too precious. the answer to your question is "yes".
2006-12-10 04:03:20 · answer #10 · answered by yabu 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋