Unsuspected iatrogenic vertebral artery cannulation with a dialysis catheter

Internal jugular vein cannulation is a common clinical procedure but not without risks including inadvertent artery puncture. The incidence of vertebral artery puncture during internal jugular vein cannulation is unclear but is thought to be much less than carotid artery involvement. Here, we describe an unsuspected case of vertebral artery cannulation with a Vas Cath dialysis catheter which was used for hemofiltration before the inadvertent artery cannulation was discovered later during open surgical retrieval.