Cardiovascular collapse during ethanol sclerotherapy in a pediatric patient
Dr James M. Robertson, Department of Image Guided Therapy, Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave, Toronto, ON, Canada M5G 1X8 (email: [email protected]).
Summary
Ethanol sclerotherapy is a first line management therapy for low flow vascular malformations. It is usually performed under general anesthesia because of the pain associated with ethanol injection. Ethanol sclerotherapy frequently produces minor local complications but may rarely produce catastrophic cardiopulmonary complications. This report describes the cardiovascular collapse associated with an ethanol sclerotherapy procedure in an 11-year- old child. The evidence for ethanol-induced cardiovascular derangements is discussed.
