Internal mammary artery injury during central venous catheter insertion for TPN: rare but fatal

Abstract

Vascular injuries caused by subclavian central venous catheter (CVC) insertion can be associated with major complications. Such injuries differ in clinical presentation as well as optimal management, which ranges from observation only to surgical or endovascular repair. We report an injury to a branch of the internal mammary artery following an attempt to introduce a subclavian CVC, resulting in a massive hemothorax. This very rare injury was diagnosed and treated by angiography and embolization; however, the patient later succumbed to multi-organ failure. Suspicion of such an injury in a similar clinical setting should result in immediate angiography that can be lifesaving. To the best of our knowledge, this is the only report of such an adverse event in an adult.