Abstract:
This case report presents an incident of spontaneous migration of a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) into the azygos vein, leading to accidental transection during surgery. A patient with esophageal cancer had a PICC placed in the left upper arm one day prior to surgery, with the catheter tip confirmed by intracavitary electrocardiogram (IC-ECG) and anterior/lateral chest X-ray imaging. However, during the surgery, the PICC was unintentionally cut when the surgeon isolated and clamped the azygos vein. The surgical team removed the catheter and re-sutured the azygos vein remnant, introducing avoidable risks. This report analyzes the spontaneous migration of the PICC to the azygos vein and explores possible contributing factors to this incident.
Reference:Mao C, Shi Y, Wang M, Zhao Q, Ding M, Zhu P, Xia W, Zhang L. Spontaneous migration of a peripherally inserted central catheter into the azygos vein and accidental transection during thoracic surgery: A case report. Asia Pac J Oncol Nurs. 2024 Nov 7;11(12):100614. doi: 10.1016/j.apjon.2024.100614. PMID: 39650329; PMCID: PMC11625122.