Journal of clinical anesthesia
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An abrupt decrease in end-tidal carbon dioxide (CO2) occurred in an anesthetized male who was placed in the head down position during radical perineal prostatectomy. The end-tidal CO2 was restored after insertion of a wet pack into the operative site, which strongly indicated venous air embolism as the cause. Predisposing factors, detection, and treatment of venous air embolism in this setting are discussed.