title: Longstanding intracardiac catheter embolism. An unusual autopsy finding.
abstract: The use of central venous catheters has greatly increased and so has the incidence of major complications. Catheter tip embolism is especially hazardous and sometimes may be fatal. We report a case of sudden death as a late and unusual complication of a catheter fragment embolism. The patient, a 39-year-old alcoholic man, suffered a nonreversible cardiac arrest shortly after his admission to hospital. Autopsy revealed a 54-cm-long fragment of an intravenous catheter in the right ventricle and the pulmonary trunk. Death was attributed to a cardiac arrhythmia.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Suárez-Peñaranda
authors.lastname: Guitian-Barreiro
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Concheiro-Carro
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002404:Catheterization / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004617:Embolism / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality; D006335:Heart Injuries / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000293:injuries; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000293:injuries