Abstract: Air embolism, a life-threatening complication of medical procedure, is a frequently encountered challenge in the forensic practices. It can be easily missed due to ignorance by forensic examiner or it could be difficult to be identified due to prolonged storage of the cadaver. This article reviews the etiological factors, pathophysiological changes, clinical manifestation, diagnosis, and the medicolegal identification of air embolism. The authors suggest that modern imaging techniques including echocardiogram, computer tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging play an important role in the clinical diagnosis and forensic identification of air embolism.

Key words: forensic pathology, venous air embolism, echocardiogram, CT, MRI