[Accidental severance of a venous catheter: diagnostic and therapeutic approach]

The most common invasive procedure performed in hospitals is the insertion of a vascular access device. This procedure has the rare complication of catheter emboli. Accidental cutting of a peripheral catheter, the use of duplex ultrasound to locate the cut and the extraction of the catheter through a venesection is described. If peripheral extraction fails, percutaneous extraction or thoracotomy should be tried, in that order. The immediate precautions have an impact on the final results.