"Spontaneous" catheter fracture and embolization of a totally implanted venous access port.
A case of "spontaneous" fracture of the catheter of a totally implanted venous access device is reported. The distal part of the catheter migrated into a pulmonary artery branch and could not be retrieved. The cause and consequences of this rare complication are discussed. It is emphasized that the integrity of a totally implanted venous access device should be ascertained before cytostatic agents are administered.
Department of Oncology, Free University Hospital, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
K G
KG
van der Hem
S
S
Meijer
C J
CJ
Werter
C J
CJ
van Groeningen
D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy; D002408:Catheters, Indwelling; D004868:Equipment Failure; D005260:Female; D005548:Foreign-Body Migration / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000209:etiology*