title: Iatrogenic left subclavian artery-to-left brachiocephalic vein fistula: successful repair without a sternotomy.
abstract: Subclavian vein catheterization can result in arteriovenous fistula formation--a rare complication that will eventually lead to heart failure if left untreated. The world medical literature describes several subclavian artery-to-subclavian vein fistulas and 2 subclavian artery-to-brachiocephalic vein fistulas, both on the right side. To our knowledge, there have been no reports of an iatrogenic left subclavian artery-to-left brachiocephalic vein fistula. We report a case in which this complication occurred after unsuccessful transvenous pacemaker placement. We treated the fistula with a simple surgical technique that avoided the need for a sternotomy. Although stenting is typically the procedure of choice for such fistulas, our technique is useful when stenting is not indicated.
authors.affiliation: The Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Yiannis
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chloroyiannis
authors.forename: George J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Reul
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001164:Arteriovenous Fistula / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D016121:Brachiocephalic Veins / Q000601:surgery*; D002404:Catheterization / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007049:Iatrogenic Disease; D013348:Subclavian Artery / Q000601:surgery*