[Brachial plexus injuries after catheterization of the internal jugular vein]

During a period of 17 months, four cases of lesions to the brachial plexus after cannulation of the internal jugular vein were observed in the Department of Thoracic Surgery in Odense Hospital. Other possible complications are mentioned and a method of catheterization with the fewest possible complications is reviewed. Patients who have been submitted to catheterization of the internal jugular vein should be observed with particular attention to nerve lesions. These symptoms usually regress within a relatively short period.