A report of an unexpected complication of PORT-A-CATH insertion

Vascular access is essential in the management of patients, and sometimes poses a problem, especially in patients requiring chronic treatment. Surgical insertion of the port-a-cath solved this problem by providing easy access, but unfortunately, it's associated with some complications.

We present a case of 32 year-old woman, diagnosed with advanced breast cancer, admitted for insertion of a port-a-cath for neoadjuvant chemotherapy. A few hours after the operation, the patient developed hoarseness and a cough. A flexible laryngoscope showed the left vocal cord which was fixed in the middle position and did not move, while the other maintained normal motility. The patient was treated conservatively.

This case demonstrated a rare and unexpected complication of the insertion of a port-a-cath, which is the result of an injury to the recurrent laryngeal nerve. We are reporting this case to encourage physicians to take note of this complication and know how to manage it.