Background: Due to its various advantages, laparoscopic surgery is preferred over laparotomy in patients who require hepatic resection. Carbon dioxide embolism -which occurs approximately ten times more often in laparoscopic hepatectomy than in general laparoscopic surgery-presents with insignificant symptoms and may be overlooked.
Case: A 70-year-old male with hepatic cell carcinoma underwent laparoscopic hepatectomy. Though his vital signs were stable during the initiation of surgery, they became unstable during the procedure. The surgeon detected portal vein rupture, and transesophageal echocardiography was subsequently performed. A large amount of gas in the heart chamber and paradoxical embolism through a patent foramen ovale due to a right-to-left shunt were observed. We treated the symptoms, and the surgery was completed without any further issues.
Conclusions: Active use of transesophageal echocardiography to identify and monitor heart functions during a suspected carbon dioxide embolism can significantly reduce morbidity and mortality associated with that embolism.
Keywords: Gas embolism; Hepatectomy; Laparoscopy; Paradoxical embolism; Patent foramen ovale; Transesophageal echocardiography..