If there is air in your bloodstream, how is it resolved?

Answer

Dear M,

If air gets into your arteries, it will impede your blood flow. You need a lot of air for that. A small gas bubble usually dissolves easily in your blood. The gas is then dissolved in your blood in very small particles, making it harmless. How well the gas dissolves in your blood depends on its composition. Carbon dioxide and oxygen are easily absorbed into your blood; nitrogen (the main gas in the air we breathe) is more difficult to dissolve in your blood and can therefore more easily remain as a bubble.

If a large amount of air enters your bloodstream, it will almost always build up in your heart and block its flow. So you get a heart attack because your heart muscle gets less oxygen. With a fine catheter that is advanced to your heart, the air can then be aspirated and clear the way for the blood again.

The air always goes up, so if you sit upright, for example, the air bubbles can go to your brain, blocking blood flow. It is therefore best to lie on your left side, because the bubbles then go least easily to the brain or lungs.

Because the supply of oxygen to your heart can be compromised, oxygen is also continuously administered.

kind regards,