We present an unusual complication caused by a dialysis catheter inserted through the internal jugular vein into the central venous system. The 49-year-old male patient developed a right atrial thrombus, which became infected with Staphylococcus aureus, resulting in septic pulmonary embolism and septicemic shock. The thrombus was excised on cardiopulmonary bypass. The patient made an uneventful recovery.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
YavuzgilOOzerkanFErturkUIslekelSAtayYBuketS. A rare cause of right atrial mass: thrombus formation and infection complicating a ventriculoatrial shunt for hydrocephalus. Surg Neurol1999;52: 54–61.
2.
GilonDSchechterDReinAJGimmonZOrRRozenmanYRight atrial thrombi are related to indwelling central venous catheter position: insights into time course and possible mechanism of formation. Am Heart J1998;135: 457–62.
3.
BermanWJrFrippRRYabekSMWernlyJCorlewS. Great vein and right atrial thrombosis in critically ill infants and children with central venous lines. Chest1991;99: 963–7.
4.
HornerSMBellJASwantonRH. Infected right atrial thrombus — an important but rare complication of central venous lines. Eur Heart J1993;14: 138–40.
5.
RoguinAReisnerSA. Right atrial mass related to indwelling central venous catheters in patients undergoing dialysis. Eur J Echocardiogr2000;1: 222–3.
6.
CohenGIKleinALChanKLStewartWJSalcedoEE. Transesophageal echocardiographic diagnosis of right-sided cardiac masses in patients with central lines. Am J Cardiol1992;70: 925–9.
7.
LayfieldLJDoddLG. Fine-needle aspiration of a primary right atrial myxoma. Diagn Cytopathol1996;14: 162–4.
8.
NakajimaOYamadaYIiMMoriguchiTSanoIAkiokaH. Bilateral atrial tumors — report of an elderly man with a heavily calcified left atrial tumor. Jpn Circ J1996;60: 715–8.
