Retrieval of broken paravertebral catheter by video-assisted thoracic surgery.
A paravertebral catheter was placed in a 34-year-old man to provide analgesia after a right upper lobectomy. On removal, the catheter broke within the chest wall. Although bedside exploration and computed tomography scanning failed to locate it, the 13-cm long retained fragment was easily retrieved by video-assisted thoracic surgery, using a single-port technique.
Sihoe
Alan D L
AD
Department of Surgery, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Grantham Hospital, The University of Hong Kong, Aberdeen, Hong Kong SAR, China. adls1@lycos.com
Das
Subid R
SR
Ling
Leong-Chow
LC
Cheng
Lik-Cheung
LC
D000328:Adult; D000767:Anesthesia, Epidural / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000295:instrumentation; D002404:Catheterization / Q000295:instrumentation*; D020878:Device Removal / Q000379:methods*; D004868:Equipment Failure; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020775:Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae