Catheter Malposition as a Considerable Complication of Central Venous Catheterization: An Analysis of 23 Cases in a Tertiary Referral Hospital

Year 2021, Volume: 74 Issue: S1 , 42 - 47 , 27.04.2026

Ufuk Turan Kürşat Korkmaz , Erhan Renan Uçaroğlu

https://izlik.org/JA77CR42ML

Abstract

Objectives: We aimed to present the clinical characteristics of patients with catheter malposition following central venous catheterization, and to
review the relevant literature.
Materials and Methods: A total of 1816 patients who underwent central venous catheterization via internal jugular or subclavian vein in a
tertiary referral hospital between January 2011 and December 2018 were researched for this cross-sectional study. Among them, procedure-related
catheter malposition was detected in 23 cases, and the study population composed of these cases with catheter malposition. Medical data of study
population were obtained and retrospectively reviewed.
Results: The rate of catheter malposition following central venous catheterization was 1.26%. The mean age of the study population was 55.1±21.3
years, and 52.2% of them were male. The blind-landmark technique without ultrasound guidance was the selected approach in 21 of cases (91.3%).
In study population, additional procedure-related complications were subcutaneous hematoma, pneumothorax, and hemo-pneumothorax in six,
three and two cases, respectively. In-hospital death was observed in two cases because of the causes other than procedure-related complications.
Conclusion: Catheter malposition is a relatively lesser encountered but an important complication of central venous catheterization. We suggest
that during central venous catheterization, the radiological-guided approach should be of choice instead of the blind-landmark technique to
minimize the risk of catheter malposition.

Keywords

Catheter Malposition , Central Venous Catheterization , Complication

References

• Korkmaz, U. T. K., & Uçaroğlu, E. R. (2021). Catheter malposition as a considerable complication of central venous catheterization: An analysis of 23 cases in a tertiary referral hospital. Ankara Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Mecmuası, 74(Suppl 1), 42-47. DOI: 10.4274/atfm.galenos.2021.53315