What can occur if air enters the bloodstream through a torn blood vessel?

When air enters the bloodstream through a torn blood vessel, it can lead to an air embolism. An air embolism occurs when bubbles of air or gas obstruct blood flow in the vessels, which can be life-threatening. These bubbles can travel through the bloodstream and lodge in vital areas such as the heart, lungs, or brain, causing significant complications like stroke or respiratory distress. The presence of air in the cardiovascular system disrupts normal circulation and can result in tissue ischemia or infarction due to the blockage of blood flow.

In this context, while hypotension may occur as a consequence of reduced blood flow or heart function, and cardiac tamponade relates to fluid accumulation in the pericardial space, they do not specifically pertain to air entering the bloodstream. Thromboembolism refers to the obstruction of a blood vessel by a blood clot that has dislodged and traveled through the bloodstream, which is also a separate condition from that of an air embolism. Thus, the occurrence of air in the bloodstream is definitively categorized as an air embolism.