The authors report a case of massive air embolization occuring while an operation for mitral valve replacement has been performed. The air entered the aorta due to inattention to reservoir level. At that time the esofaged temperature was 28ºC. The accident was successfully corrected using the reversed perfusion. There were no neurological sequelae and the post-operative evolution was uneventful.
air embolization; reversed perfusion; extracorporeal circulation