[Calcified Fibrin Sheath After Stuck Catheter Removal: Case Report and Literature Review].

The prevalence of central venous catheters (CVC) in hemodialysis patients is around 20-30%. In this scenario, complications related to the use of the CVC are commonly observed, requiring active management by nephrologists. These include infectious complications as well as those related to CVC malfunction. Among the latter, the formation of a fibrin sheath around the catheter linked to foreign body reaction could cause CVC malfunction in various ways. Even after the removal of the catheter, the fibrin sheath can remain inside the vascular lumen (ghost fibrin sheath) and rarely undergo calcification. We describe the clinical case of a hemodialysis patient who, following the removal of a malfunctioning, stuck CVC, presented a calcified tubular structure in the lumen of the superior vena cava, diagnosed as calcified fibrin sheath (CFS). This rare occurrence, described in the literature in 8 other cases, although rare, is certainly underdiagnosed and can lead to complications such as sepsis resulting from CFS, pulmonary embolisms, and vascular thrombosis. Therapeutic approaches should be considered only in symptomatic cases and involve an invasive surgical approach.

A Rare Case of Successfully Treated Double Valve Infective Endocarditis Caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a rare yet particularly aggressive infective endocarditis pathogen. We describe a case of successfully managed double-valve P. aeruginosa infective endocarditis, in which the presumed source of bacteremia was a long-term tunneled central venous catheter used for hemodialysis.

Presence of retained calcified fibrin sheath after central venous catheter removal: A systematic literature review.

Central venous catheters (CVC) are used in many clinical settings for a variety of indications. We performed a systematic literature review concerning case reports of retained calcified fibrin sheaths after dialysis CVC removal. The aim of our study was to systematize the knowledge regarding clinical management of this phenomenon, placing special emphasis on diagnostic radiological features in different imaging modalities, including chest radiography, echocardiography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging. We discuss the most common risk factors associated with this CVC complication. In our review, we found eight cases of hemodialysis patients. The most common risk factors associated with calcified fibrin sheath formation in the analyzed cases were pro-thrombotic and pro-calcification factors related to patient comorbidities, and prolonged catheter dwell time. Differentiating between a calcified fibrin sheath (present in about 6% of patients with long-term indwelling CVC as diagnosed by computed tomography) and a retained catheter tip can be challenging. The initial diagnosis based on imaging methods was incorrect in most of the analyzed cases. This suggests that some cases of retained fibrin sheaths may remain undetected or misinterpreted. This is important in patients with known pro-thrombotic and pro-calcification risk factors and prolonged catheter dwell time. Therefore, implementation of preventive strategies, familiarity with radiological findings of this phenomenon, comparison with previous imaging studies, and an overall comprehensive assessment with clinical data is imperative.

Incidence of fibroblastic sleeve and of catheter-related venous thrombosis in peripherally inserted central catheters: A prospective study on oncological and hematological patients.

BACKGROUND: Insertion of peripherally inserted central catheters in oncological patients is potentially associated with catheter-related thrombosis and fibroblastic sleeve; the actual incidence and interactions between these two non-infective complications have never been investigated in a prospective clinical study on peripherally inserted central catheters. METHODS: In a cohort of oncological/hematological patients with peripherally inserted central catheter, we evaluated the occurrence of catheter-related thrombosis and/or fibroblastic sleeve, examining all patients by ultrasound scan at days 7, 14, 21, and 28 after insertion. We correlated our findings with the type of disease. RESULTS: We enrolled 254 patients with power injectable polyurethane 4Fr peripherally inserted central catheters. Ultrasound scan of the veins of the arm showed fibroblastic sleeve in 76 patients (29.9%); the fibroblastic sleeve was first detected on day 7 in 45 cases (17.7%), on day 14 in 26 cases (10.2%), on day 21 in 3 cases (1.2%), and on day 28 in 2 cases (0.79%). There was no correlation between the type of disease and the development of fibroblastic sleeve. The incidence of asymptomatic catheter-related thrombosis was 5.12%: all catheter-related thromboses were detected before day 14. There was only one case of symptomatic catheter-related thrombosis (0.39%) in a leukemia patient. Fibroblastic sleeve and catheter-related thrombosis were associated only in two cases (0.78%). CONCLUSION: Fibroblastic sleeve is a frequent (29.9%) but asymptomatic finding in oncological and hematological patients with peripherally inserted central catheter, and-in the vast majority of cases-it occurs within 2 weeks after insertion. If compared to fibroblastic sleeve, asymptomatic catheter-related thrombosis is less frequent (5.51%); symptomatic catheter-related thrombosis is rare (<1%).

The fibroblastic sleeve, the neglected complication of venous access devices: A narrative review.

The presence of a vascular access device (or of any intravascular foreign body) inside the bloodstream is often associated with the formation of a connective tissue sleeve around the catheter (often named-erroneously-"fibrin sleeve"). Such sleeve is usually a physiological phenomenon with little or no clinical relevance, but its pathogenesis is still unclear, so that it is frequently confused with venous thrombosis; also, its relationship with other major catheter-related complications, such as venous thrombosis and bloodstream infection, is uncertain. This narrative review tries to convey in a systematic form the current knowledge about pathogenesis, incidence, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and management of this phenomenon.

Persistencia intracardíaca de la vaina de fibrina pericatéter en un neonato: informe de un caso / Intracardiac persistence of pericatheter fibrin sheath in a newborn: case report

Una de las complicaciones relacionadas con los catéteres venosos centrales es la denominada "vaina o manguito de fibrina". La persistencia de esta estructura después de extraer el catéter venoso central no es habitual, especialmente dentro de una cámara cardíaca. Un neonato con proceso infeccioso y trombosis de la vena porta, en quien se sospechó la presencia de un fragmento del catéter venoso umbilical retenido en la aurícula derecha, fue traído a la consulta para su eventual extracción mediante cateterismo. Antes del procedimiento, los hallazgos ecocardiográfcos orientaron al diagnóstico de vaina de fibrina persistente. El cateterismo se suspendió y el paciente recibió tratamiento anticoagulante y antibiótico. En este caso, la ecocardiografía fue útil para confrmar el diagnóstico de vaina de fibrina retenida y descartar la presencia del remanente del catéter venoso central, lo que evitó un procedimiento cruento e innecesario.

One of the complications related to central venous catheters is the so-called "fibrin sheath or sleeve", the persistence of this structure after central venous catheter removal is uncommon, especially within a cardiac chamber. A neonate with symptoms of infection and portal vein thrombosis with suspected umbilical catheter fragment retained in right atrium was consulted for possible removal by catheterization. Prior to the procedure, the echocardiography fndings guided us to the diagnosis of persistent fibrin sheath. The procedure was discontinued and the patient received anticoagulant therapy and antibiotics. In our case, echocardiography was useful in confrming the diagnosis of retained fibrin sheath and rule out the presence of residual central venous catheter after its removal, thereby avoiding an unnecessary and invasive procedure.

Persistencia intracardíaca de la vaina de fibrina pericatéter en un neonato: informe de un caso / Intracardiac persistence of pericatheter fibrin sheath in a newborn: case report

Una de las complicaciones relacionadas con los catéteres venosos centrales es la denominada "vaina o manguito de fibrina". La persistencia de esta estructura después de extraer el catéter venoso central no es habitual, especialmente dentro de una cámara cardíaca. Un neonato con proceso infeccioso y trombosis de la vena porta, en quien se sospechó la presencia de un fragmento del catéter venoso umbilical retenido en la aurícula derecha, fue traído a la consulta para su eventual extracción mediante cateterismo. Antes del procedimiento, los hallazgos ecocardiográfcos orientaron al diagnóstico de vaina de fibrina persistente. El cateterismo se suspendió y el paciente recibió tratamiento anticoagulante y antibiótico. En este caso, la ecocardiografía fue útil para confrmar el diagnóstico de vaina de fibrina retenida y descartar la presencia del remanente del catéter venoso central, lo que evitó un procedimiento cruento e innecesario.(AU)

One of the complications related to central venous catheters is the so-called "fibrin sheath or sleeve", the persistence of this structure after central venous catheter removal is uncommon, especially within a cardiac chamber. A neonate with symptoms of infection and portal vein thrombosis with suspected umbilical catheter fragment retained in right atrium was consulted for possible removal by catheterization. Prior to the procedure, the echocardiography fndings guided us to the diagnosis of persistent fibrin sheath. The procedure was discontinued and the patient received anticoagulant therapy and antibiotics. In our case, echocardiography was useful in confrming the diagnosis of retained fibrin sheath and rule out the presence of residual central venous catheter after its removal, thereby avoiding an unnecessary and invasive procedure.(AU)