[Rare complication of subclavian vein catheterization in an infant]

The authors observed a rare case of complication of catheterization of the subclavian vein in an infant of 1 1/2 months old with staphylococcal pleuropneumonia. After catheterization the baby developed crude blowing systolic murmur in the heart. Forty-one hours after catheterization the baby died with signs of acute cardia insufficiency. The autopsy revealed that the catheter had entered the cavity of the right ventricle where it bent arch-like and its end went into the right atrium. The catheter was a kind of spreader causing insufficiency of the tricuspid valve.