[Air embolisation during vitrectomy?]. / Luftembolie bei Vitrektomie?

ABSTRACT

Life-threatening complications are extremely rare in ophthalmic surgery. If they occur, then mostly because of a pre-existing severe cardiovascular condition of the patient, and only to a much lesser extent because of the operation of the eye itself. One theoretically possible complication is an air embolisation during air tamponade of the vitreous cavity with simultaneously opened choroidal vessels. There are some descriptions of such possible cases of air embolisation in the anaesthesiologic literature. Vitreoretinal surgeons should be aware of the theoretically possible complication of air embolisation during vitrectomy with air tamponade and simultaneously opened choroidal vessels.