Comparison of surgical and anesthetic complications in neurosurgical patients experiencing venous air embolism in the sitting position.

Because venous air embolism (VAE) has been considered to be a major deterrent to use of the sitting position, records of 255 patients undergoing neurosurgery in the sitting position from 1975 to 1982 were reviewed to determine the nature of morbidity and mortality in relation to the surgical procedure as well as to the occurrence of VAE. Complications were classified as surgical or anesthetic during joint review by a neurosurgeon and two neuroanesthesiologists. Outcome was classified on the basis of postoperative hospital course and discharge examination. The incidence of VAE was 30%. Although there was a variety of perioperative complications in patients with and without VAE, most of the complications were related to the operative procedure, not the sitting position or VAE. The episodes of VAE did not seem to be significant factors in the perioperative morbidity and mortality in our series of patients operated upon in the sitting position. Two case reports are discussed in detail.