A peripherally inserted central catheter misplacement into lateral thoracic vein: A case report

INTRODUCTION

Central venous catheter applications and complications are closely related to the tip position. Previous studies have reported some rare cases of catheter misplacement. Here, we report a case of misplacement of a peripherally inserted central catheter into the lateral thoracic vein.

CASE REPORT

A 56-year-old cancer patient underwent placement of a peripherally inserted central catheter through the left basilic vein under ultrasound-guided puncture. The catheterisation procedure was uneventful, so the catheter was believed to be in the superior vena cava. However, the post-anterior chest X-ray image revealed that after the catheter advanced towards the axilla, it turned downwards and outwards in the direction of the left lateral thoracic region, with the projection of the catheter tip giving the appearance of termination in the subcutaneous tissue of the lateral thoracic wall on the two-dimensional image. The catheter was then repositioned in the distal superior vena cava.

DISCUSSION

Peripherally inserted central catheters can be potentially misplaced into the lateral thoracic vein because these catheters can pass through the orifice of the lateral thoracic vein which flows into the axillary vein. Some pathological cases and clinical conditions can cause dilatation of the lateral thoracic vein, which increases the probability of catheter misplacement. Three principles were proposed to avoid this rare complication: a comprehensive review of the patients' medical history, real-time image-guided catheterisation and routine radiographic identification of the tip position.

Unintentional epidural placement of a thoracic paravertebral catheter inserted using an ultrasound-guided technique: a case report

This is the first case report describing the epidural misplacement of an infusion catheter, which was intended to be located in the thoracic paravertebral space using an ultrasound-guided technique. The patient was a 57-year-old female undergoing a laparoscopy-assisted left partial nephrectomy. Before surgery, a Tuohy needle was inserted into the paravertebral space at the left ninth intercostal space using an in-plane transverse ultrasound-guided approach in the lateral-to-medial direction. A catheter was then threaded into the paravertebral space through the needle. Subsequently, the catheter position was secured, although ultrasound-guided confirmation of air injected through the catheter into the paravertebral space was not obtained. Twenty milliliters of 0.5 % levobupivacaine was administered through the catheter at both the initiation and conclusion of surgery. A neurologic examination following surgery revealed paraplegia, along with sensory deficits in the bilateral T3-S5 dermatome. The motor dysfunction in the lower extremities lasted 7 h, and the sensory block lasted 13.5 h. Postoperative radiologic confirmation of the catheter position concomitant with the spread of radiopaque dye revealed that the tip of the catheter was lying in the epidural space. Unless precise attention is paid to detection of the catheter tip location, a thoracic paravertebral catheter can enter into the epidural space even under ultrasound guidance.