What happens if the air gets into a vein? What are the consequences of getting air into a vein?

What happens if the air gets into a vein? This question often occurs in those who have been wrongly injected. And it's no accident, because in many films and detective novels such a method is often used by ruthless killers in relation to their victims. And watching as the negative hero takes a large syringe, lifts the piston, pushes the air into the vein and the hostage dies, in the memory of the viewer the information that such a prick is fatal is involuntarily delayed.

What happens if the air gets into a vein?

In medical practice, the process of penetration of air into any artery, as well as the subsequent overlapping of the current of blood going to the brain or heart, is called air embolism. It is this pathological state that those who were accidentally injected with air into a vein are afraid. It should be noted that this can actually be a fatal situation, since the bladder that has entered the vein, gradually begins to move along the artery, and then falls into the system of the smallest vessels, which subsequently narrow to the capillaries. In such a place, the air quickly stops the flow of blood flowing into any vital area of the body.

An infarction or a stroke?

So what happens if the air gets into a vein? According to the doctors, from the blocking of the artery by air, the injured person can really die. In this case we are talking about a cardiac embolism, which causes a life-threatening air coronary tube or a so-called infarction. Similarly, embolism in the brain causes a stroke. However, it is worth noting that the accidental entry of air into the vein in 99% does not cause a lethal outcome. Why? On this question you can find an exhaustive answer a little lower.

Rules for administering a prick

What happens if the air gets into a vein? This question arises in people not only because of movies and detective novels, but also because nurses try to squeeze out all the vials from the syringe or drip carefully before injecting. Such caution of policlinic workers involuntarily pushes the patient to the idea that if you inject air into the vein, something very terrible will certainly happen. However, it is not. Just such procedures are mandatory for any type of injection. First, if you do not remove all the bubbles, then it will be quite problematic to introduce the drug quickly and painlessly. Secondly, if the air is still there, then in the first few minutes the patient will really feel "local" discomfort, calling the injection "sick." But as practice shows, such unpleasant symptoms disappear after a while.

It is for these reasons that nurses try to make intravenous, subcutaneous or intramuscular injections by all means. After all, few people like the "sick" prick, after which it reduces the arm, leg or other parts of the body.

Cube of air in a vein: deadly or not?

If you notice that during the injection small air bubbles enter your bloodstream, then do not panic immediately - there will not be a fatal outcome in this situation. Moreover, worry about this is only meaningful if only an intravenous injection has been improperly made , since air that gets into the muscle tissue or under the skin almost immediately dissolves in the cells, leaving no after effects, except that Short discomfort at the injection site.

As for intravenous injection, it all depends on the size of the bubble itself. If you let the air in the vein very little, then it immediately dissolves in the cells of the body, as in the case of intramuscular or subcutaneous injection. This is why the accidental ingress of small bubbles into the body does not affect the health of the patient.

What dose of air is prone to life when injected?

As mentioned above, during a routine injection, only a minimum of air bubbles can accidentally enter the body, which will not affect the person's health in any way. As for the possible lethal proceeding, for this it is necessary to try very hard. After all, according to experts, air embolism will arise only if a vein is introduced, at least 200 ml of vesicles. Only in this case they will not be able to resolve properly, what can cause a stroke or a heart attack.

Where it is especially dangerous to introduce air?

A little bit earlier we told you that getting air into the body during intramuscular or subcutaneous injection does not endanger human life. Moreover, if a syringe with air was injected into a vein, then this too is not fatal. And this has nothing to do with the number of bubbles. After all, a lethal outcome does not occur due to accidental air ingress into any of the small veins. In this regard, the authors of bestsellers are advisable to write about the ruthless killing of victims with the help of large syringes and injections into the main artery. After all, this is the only way that a patient may soon have a stroke or a heart attack.

What traces are left?

Returning to detective novels, it should be noted that quite often the presented method of murder is chosen proceeding from the fact that in future the forensic experts will not be able to reveal the true cause of death of a person. But this is the same myth as the death from one small "air" shot. The fact is that any specialist is able to determine almost immediately the recent injection, especially if it was made only by air. After all, after the death of a person, the injection site becomes very dark, and around it a light halo appears. As for the usual incorrectly made injection, in this case, patients can later observe small bruises, as well as bumps or pustules. As a rule, hematomas at the injection site dissolve themselves rather quickly. But if for some reason this did not happen, and a person begins to feel pain, his temperature rises, etc., then he should immediately consult a doctor, since it is likely that a serious infection has entered the wound.

How is the air removed correctly?

The rules for administering the injection are the same for everyone. That is why absolutely every medical worker is obliged before the injection to remove air from the medical device. And how exactly this is done, we will look a little further.

• From a syringe (for intramuscular, intravenous or subcutaneous injection). After the drug has been collected, the syringe rises vertically with a needle upward, and then the nurse makes light clicks on his body, thereby knocking all the bubbles together (into one air pocket). Then, with a slight pressure on the piston, the air is squeezed out. At the same time, it is necessary to release some part of the medicinal product, along with which all the remaining vesicles will leave.
• From droppers . Before putting the patient in a system, the medical staff does the same things as with a syringe before injecting. By the way, if the liquid in the dropper ends before the nurse takes the needle out of the patient's vein, the air in any case will not get into the human body, because for this the system simply does not have enough pressure.
• Of complex medical devices . In such devices, where enough air can accumulate for lethal outcome, there are special filters that automatically remove all the existing bubbles automatically.

In what cases can there be an air embolism?

Quite often with a pathological condition that threatens human life, divers encounter. This happens in situations where a professional diver has run out of air at a great depth, and he is trying to float to the surface quickly, while holding his breath. In this case, the air in the lungs begins to expand due to a decrease in pressure. As a result of this phenomenon, a rapid and quite strong filling of the internal respiratory organs with vesicles occurs, which in the end can lead to the immediate rupture of small sacs called alveoli. After that, the air gradually enters all the blood vessels, which eventually leads to air embolism, that is, stroke or heart attack.

How to avoid?

What to do to shield yourself from such fatal accidents? In the situation with divers, you should follow all the rules for lifting to the surface of the water. As for medicine, it is necessary here to remove all air bubbles from syringes, droppers and other devices.