[Unilateral pleural effusion caused by vessel perforation due to peripherally inserted central catheter: Indocyanine...

A peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) was inserted into a 44-year-old man to provide parenteral nutrition in a protein-calorie malnutrition secondary to a benign pyloric stenosis. On the fifth day while monitoring the catheter, the patient presented with a massive whitish pleural effusion after undergoing gastric endoscopy in order to treat pyloric stenosis. Chylothorax was initially suspected, and the patient was admitted to a recovery unit. Indocyanine green was administered through the PICC, obtaining a greenish discoloration in the pleural effusion 30 min later. This led to the diagnosis of a pleural effusion caused by a vessel perforation due to the PICC, leading to parenteral nutrition extravasation. Thoraco-abdominal computed tomography was performed, which confirmed an innominate vein perforation due to the PICC. PICC insertion may be associated with severe complications, such as central vessel perforation, and therefore the correct position of a central catheter should be always checked. Intravenous computed tomography contrast is the gold standard for central vascular perforation diagnosis. However if a pleural effusion occurs in this context, it is possible to use a dye, which administered intravenously can lead us to the correct diagnosis in situ. Indocyanine green was used for this purpose in this case.