Clinical Practice and Cases in Emergency Medicine

Introduction: Cerebral air embolisms are a rare but potentially devastating event where air enters the vascular system. Although commonly associated with intravascular catheters, they can arise from a variety of mechanisms including endoscopic procedures.

Case Report: We report the case of a 90-year-old woman who presented with focal neurologic deficits due to an air embolism after undergoing an esophagogastroduodenoscopy.

Conclusion: Cerebral air embolisms should be considered in patients who present to the emergency department with acute neurologic changes, especially after an endoscopic procedure.