latrogenic pseudoaneurysm of the innominate artery

Central venous cannulation by the subclavian approach is a commonly performed procedure with an overall complication rate of up to 11%. In the English literature, however, there has been no previous documentation of pseudoaneurysm of the innominate artery as a complication of right subclavian vein catheterization. We report a case of a 55-year-old woman on chronic hemodialysis admitted to the hospital with pneumonia and sepsis who underwent multiple attempts at placement of a right subclavian vein catheter. These were unsuccessful and resulted in arterial puncture. The patient was discharged, but returned to the hospital 2 weeks later with shortness of breath and stridor. Evaluation revealed a pseudoaneurysm of the innominate artery with compression of the airway, which was successfully repaired.