Placement of a peripherally inserted central catheter into the azygous vein

Journal Article · Mon Jun 15 00:00:00 EDT 2015 · Journal of Medical Radiation Sciences (Print)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/JMRS.98· OSTI ID:22402377

Franklin, Iain; Gilmore, Christopher ^[1]

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1. The Prince Charles Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland (Australia)

Peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) are used for a variety of infusion therapies. They are indicated in patients requiring long-term venous access. Incorrect positioning of the insertion of a PICC line is one of the known complications when inserting the device in clinical practice. Radiographers once performing imaging will commonly check if the tip of a PICC has entered the superior vena cava. This case study will report on a lesser known incorrect placement of a PICC line into the azygous vein and how this can be detected on radiographic imaging. This outcome for the patient can be detrimental as it has an increased risk of perforation, thrombus, and fistula formation.

• OSTI ID: 22402377
• Journal Information: Journal of Medical Radiation Sciences (Print), Vol. 62, Issue 2; Other Information: PMCID: PMC4462988; PMID: 26229681; OAI: oai:pubmedcentral.nih.gov:4462988; Copyright (c) 2015 The Authors. Journal of Medical Radiation Sciences published by Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd on behalf of Australian Institute of Radiography and New Zealand Institute of Medical Radiation Technology; This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 2051-3895
• Country of Publication: Australia
• Language: English

Related Subjects

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
EQUIPMENT
HAZARDS
INFUSION
PATIENTS
PERFORATION
POSITIONING
THERAPY
VEINS