Multiple complications of a 14-year-old hemodialysis catheter.

We describe a case of a 65-year-old woman undergoing hemodialysis treatment since 1986 after a bilateral nephrectomy due to complicated nephrolithiasis. Her last access, two Tesio® tunneled cuffed catheters implanted via the right internal jugular vein functioned correctly for 14 years without complications, and so, was not replaced in the meantime. She was referred to our hospital due to a rupture in a catheter lumen, which was corrected conservatively by creating a more proximal tunnel and excising the affected area. A few weeks later, a new rupture in the same lumen was identified, so the catheter was replaced with angiographic control. The catheter was frail, so upon its removal, the tip fractured and remained in the right ventricle, being swiftly removed by an endovascular snare without complications. DISCUSSION: This case reports two rare complications associated with catheter handling and identifies a possible technique for conservative resolution of a lumen rupture. PMID: 31190613 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: The Journal of Vascular Access - Category: Surgery Tags: J Vasc Access Source Type: research