Avoiding air emboli during pressure infusion.

Abstract

I was interested to read the article by Gray and Glover (Anaesthesia 1999; 54: 790–2) reporting air emboli with Haemaccel® given by infusion under pressure. B Braun Medical UK are also a supplier of gelatine similar to that in which the polygeline (Haemaccel®) is supplied. We also appreciate the potential hazards of this type of container when used for pressure infusion. We therefore supply our solution in two types of container. The first is similar to the one Haemaccel® is supplied in and the second is a PVC bag containing either 500 or 1000 ml of gelatine solution. These PVC bags do not contain any air and they are also easy to collapse. These two features make our solution suitable for administration by pressure infusion. We feel that your readers’ attention needs to be drawn to the availability of solution of gelatine containers other than that described in this case report, so when necessary they can be used safely in this way.