Stories about how they gave an injection and introduced air during the procedure are quite widespread. Some do not even allow intravenous injections - they are so afraid. But in fact, what happens if air enters a vein? Is it instant death?
Danger of intravenous injection
The danger posed by intravenous injections is greatly exaggerated by the townsfolk. It is no secret that before becoming experienced medical workers, students of higher and secondary medical institutions undergo practical training. And intravenous injections they do not get it right right away. If in a situation where air enters the vein, the consequences were fatal, the population would noticeably thin out.
In order for an air embolism to occur, namely the condition when air enters the bloodstream and leads to death, at least 10 ml of air must be injected into a vein. Moreover, to do it so cleverly that it immediately penetrated into large arteries and clogged the gaps in the lungs. With an intravenous injection, the limb into which the needle is inserted is locatedhorizontal, below the level of the heart, so there is no way an air bubble can cause fatal harm
Consequently, the answer to the question of what will happen if air enters the vein during the injection is: nothing bad will happen.
When is air entering the bloodstream dangerous?
Let's highlight the factors under which air entering the bloodstream can lead to negative and sometimes irreversible consequences:
- injuries or wounds that occur in the area where large vessels lie;
- failed surgeries;
- pathological labor activity.
What happens if air enters a vein when injured or injured in the chest or neck? In the thoracic region, the pressure is always lower than the ambient atmospheric pressure. And the neck area is located above the level of the heart. Air will be sucked under pressure into large vessels and simply break the circulatory system. The consequences of such damage are irreversible.
It is also impossible to stop an air embolism during improper surgical procedures or during childbirth. Air into open blood vessels or into the vena cava of the uterus is immediately absorbed when it contracts.
If air enters the vein in the above situations, doctors predict death.
Dangerous professions
Divers, pilots - all whose professions are associated with overloads caused by sudden changes in pressure, are in danger of saturating the circulatory system with air. What happens if air enters a vein due to a pressure drop, and how does this happen?
The impact on a person of changing pressure should be slow enough. If a diver rises quickly from a great depth, or a caisson worker is urgently taken out of the chamber, the air in the blood vessels literally boils. The resulting nitrogen bubbles, which are exhaled under normal circumstances, clog the alveoli, entering the pulmonary circulation. This can cause decompression sickness.
Her symptoms:
- weakness;
- bleeding from the nose or ears;
- disorientation;
- unable to move.
If a person has time to be placed in a pressure chamber, then serious consequences can be avoided.
Before answering the question: “What happens if air enters a vein?”, You need to clarify the circumstances under which this happened. Only then can a reliable answer be given.
