[Femoral arteriovenous fistula: a late uncommon complication of central venous catheterization].
A 77-year-old woman was admitted due to AV graft thrombosis; given the technical impossibility of performing other native AV fistulas, we chose to insert a tunnelled central venous catheter. Considering the vascular history of the patient, the central venous catheter could not be placed into the internal jugular vein; it was therefore put into the left femoral vein. Following a 3-month-period of the catheter working properly, the patient was hospitalized due to sudden acute pain in the left thigh. In a few days the patient developed an important haematoma with serious anemization in the left lower limb. Ultrasonography showed the presence of a fistula between the left common femoral artery and the femoral vein, leading to the subsequent successful positioning of a stent into the common femoral artery through right trans-femoral access. Angiography examination showed the femoral vein patency along the proximal stretch with respect to the function of the tunnelled venous catheter.
Conz
P A
PA
Ospedale Vittorio Emanuele III, Monselice, Italy. piero.conz@ulss17.it
Malagoli
A
A
Normanno
M
M
Munaro
D
D
D000368:Aged; D001164:Arteriovenous Fistula / Q000209:etiology*; D002405:Catheterization, Central Venous / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005263:Femoral Artery; D005268:Femoral Vein; D006801:Humans