Complete Fracture of Totally Implantable Venous Catheter / 대한흉부외과학회지

ABSTRACT

The patient was a 42-year-old female with breast cancer who had an implantable central venous catheter inserted percutaneously into left subclavian vein for chemotherapy. The postinsertion chest x ray revealed that there was no compressive sign of catheter. Three months after insertion of the catheter, the patient was admitted to the hospital for 4th chemotherapy. The port was accessed but blood could not be aspirated and the catheter could not be flushed. A chest x ray revealed that the catheter was completely transected at the point where the catheter passed under the clavicle. Percutaneous removal of the distal fragment of the catheter was accomplished. The patient was discharged after successful removal of fragment of catheter.