• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer

Log in
  • Search
    • Search All SAGES Content
    • Search SAGES Guidelines
    • Search the Video Library
    • Search the Image Library
    • Search the Abstracts Archive
www.sages.org

SAGES

Reimagining surgical care for a healthier world

  • Home
    • Search
    • SAGES Home
    • SAGES Foundation Home
  • About
    • Awards
    • Who Is SAGES?
    • Leadership
    • Our Mission
    • Advocacy
    • Committees
      • SAGES Board of Governors
      • Officers and Representatives of the Society
      • Committee Chairs and Co-Chairs
      • Committee Rosters
      • SAGES Past Presidents
  • Meetings
    • SAGES NBT Innovation Weekend
    • SAGES Annual Meeting
      • 2026 Scientific Session Call for Abstracts
      • 2026 Emerging Technology Call for Abstracts
    • CME Claim Form
    • SAGES Past, Present, Future, and Related Meeting Information
    • SAGES Related Meetings & Events Calendar
  • Join SAGES!
    • Membership Application
    • Membership Benefits
    • Membership Types
      • Requirements and Applications for Active Membership in SAGES
      • Requirements and Applications for Affiliate Membership in SAGES
      • Requirements and Applications for Associate Active Membership in SAGES
      • Requirements and Applications for Candidate Membership in SAGES
      • Requirements and Applications for International Membership in SAGES
      • Requirements for Medical Student Membership
    • Member Spotlight
    • Give the Gift of SAGES Membership
  • Patients
    • Join the SAGES Patient Partner Network (PPN)
    • Patient Information Brochures
    • Healthy Sooner – Patient Information for Minimally Invasive Surgery
    • Choosing Wisely – An Initiative of the ABIM Foundation
    • All in the Recovery: Colorectal Cancer Alliance
    • Find A SAGES Surgeon
  • Publications
    • Sustainability in Surgical Practice
    • SAGES Stories Podcast
    • SAGES Clinical / Practice / Training Guidelines, Statements, and Standards of Practice
    • Patient Information Brochures
    • Patient Information From SAGES
    • TAVAC – Technology and Value Assessments
    • Surgical Endoscopy and Other Journal Information
    • SAGES Manuals
    • MesSAGES – The SAGES Newsletter
    • COVID-19 Archive
    • Troubleshooting Guides
  • Education
    • Wellness Resources – You Are Not Alone
    • Avoid Opiates After Surgery
    • SAGES Subscription Catalog
    • SAGES TV: Home of SAGES Surgical Videos
    • The SAGES Safe Cholecystectomy Program
    • Masters Program
    • Resident and Fellow Opportunities
      • SAGES Free Resident Webinar Series
      • Fluorescence-Guided Surgery Course for Fellows
      • Fellows’ Career Development Course
      • SAGES Robotics Residents and Fellows Courses
      • MIS Fellows Course
    • SAGES S.M.A.R.T. Enhanced Recovery Program
    • SAGES @ Cine-Med Products
      • SAGES Top 21 Minimally Invasive Procedures Every Practicing Surgeon Should Know
      • SAGES Pearls Step-by-Step
      • SAGES Flexible Endoscopy 101
    • SAGES OR SAFETY Video Activity
  • Opportunities
    • Fellowship Recognition Opportunities
    • SAGES Advanced Flexible Endoscopy Area of Concentrated Training (ACT) SEAL
    • Multi-Society Foregut Fellowship Certification
    • Research Opportunities
    • FLS
    • FES
    • FUSE
    • Jobs Board
    • SAGES Go Global: Global Affairs and Humanitarian Efforts
  • OWLS/FLS
You are here: Home / Abstracts / Venous Air Embolism: Preventing a Laparoscopic Phenomenon?

Venous Air Embolism: Preventing a Laparoscopic Phenomenon?

Introduction
Venous air embolism (VAE) is a rare but potentially devastating complication of laparoscopic surgery. The patient outcomes from VAE are poor with a reported 50% mortality and the event represents a significant risk of malpractice risk exposure for hospitals and physicians. The infrequent occurrence and severity of this event make it a perfect target for team based simulation training. At our institution, we sought to improve patient safety through conducting an interdisciplinary training scenario (ITS) directed at VAE. Our goal was to create an ITS that successfully recreated the setting of a VAE and to compare the institution’s cost of developing and performing an ITS to the average indemnity award of VAE.

Methods
A focus group consisting of a faculty minimally invasive surgeon, faculty anesthesiologist, surgical resident, simulation coordinator, two nurse educators, and personnel from risk management and patient safety designed and conducted four VAE ITS. All OR training scenarios were performed in a simulated operating room with a team of OR nurses (one circulator, one surgical technician), anesthesiology and surgical residents, and a “high fidelity” mannequin. The scenario was designed after performing a through needs assessment and reviewing accounts of VAE from indemnity awards. Over 30,000 attorney-submitted indemnity award summaries published in the monthly journal Medical Malpractice from 1989-2006 were reviewed for evidence of VAE. Average award costs were then compared to the costs of ITS development and performance at our institution.

Results
23 cases of venous air embolism were identified in 1,222 indemnity awards. 6/23 cases involved laparoscopic surgery by gynecologists or general surgeons. The remaining cases involved open or percutaneous procedures. The mean indemnity award for a venous air embolism was $2.6 million (range $119,900-$24,700,000). In contrast, the total cost to design and perform the ITS at our institution was $2,994 ($1,436 design, $1,558 performance). ITS performance costs were averaged after 4 VAE scenario performances. Our results demonstrate that for the mean cost of one VAE indemnity award, an institution could design and perform 1,667 training sessions allowing healthcare providers to practice preventing, diagnosing and managing a VAE.

Conclusions
Venous air embolisms are preventable, and can lead to sizeable indemnity awards. In contrast, development and performance of an interdisciplinary surgical simulation scenario is relatively inexpensive and can lead to the avoidance of VAE as well as identification of the event and subsequent management protocols. Our analysis demonstrates that VAE occur in many other settings than laparoscopic surgery and that the average design and performance costs of an ITS was less than 0.1% of the average VAE indemnity award. These findings argue that prevention with education and training could be a cost effective and potentially life-saving intervention for surgeons and operating room teams performing laparoscopic surgery.


Session: Poster

Program Number: P234

View Poster

689

Share this:

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket
  • Click to share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon

Related



Hours & Info

11300 West Olympic Blvd, Suite 600
Los Angeles, CA 90064

1-310-437-0544

[email protected]

Monday – Friday
8am to 5pm Pacific Time

Find Us Around the Web!

  • Bluesky
  • X
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2025 · SAGES · All Rights Reserved

Important Links

Healthy Sooner: Patient Information

SAGES Guidelines, Statements, & Standards of Practice

SAGES Manuals