Hydrogen peroxide, an over the counter irrigation solution used in infected and dirty wounds, has been reported mainly in the anesthesia literature to have life threatening complications. We report a case of near fatal gas embolism during an orthopedic procedure of irrigating the wound of a 30 year old female with chronic osteomyelitis of the femur using hydrogen peroxide solution.

Keywords: hydrogen peroxide; oxygen embolism; osteomyelitis