Can you have air inside the heart?
Air inside the heart occurs in a condition known as air embolism. Air can enter the circulation through an open vein, a blood vessel returning blood to the heart, especially in the neck when one breathes in and air is sucked in. Rarely it can occur during certain procedures in which air is sucked in through an open vein. Air can also remain in the heart after an open heart surgery. Hence de-airing is a routine procedure at the completion of an open heart surgery. Rarely gas can be generated in the body due to infection by gas forming organisms. In that condition known as gas gangrene, air usually collects between the cells and not inside the blood vessels or heart.