We report the case of a systemic air embolism occurring during pulmonary radiofrequency ablation. At the end of the procedure, the patient experienced a sudden myocardial infarction, complicated by ventricular fibrillation, cardiac arrest, and cerebral infarction. Thoracic computed tomography showed an air-blood level inside the left atrium and ventricle, the aortic arch, and the coronary arteries. Cerebral computed tomography showed an infarct in the frontoparietal area. Myocardial infarction and stroke responded to resuscitation measures, including hyperbaric oxygenation. The occurrence of this life-threatening event confirms the need to train experienced anesthesiologists in these new invasive approaches to cancer treatment.

Radiofrequency ablation of lung tumours is a curative technique that is newly considered being offered to nonsurgical patients. It is of major interest because it enables local destruction of the tumour without surgery and spares healthy parenchyma. However, some patients have previous serious respiratory failure, thus ruling out mechanical ventilation. To operate with the patient under thoracic epidural is an answer to this problem. Our experience shows that the procedure is able to be performed completely without converting to general anaesthesia.