Extensive thrombosis of the caval venous system after central venous catheters in severely burned patients

Central venous thrombosis is a rare but extremely dangerous complication following central venous catheter placement. Two cases of massive central venous thrombosis in severely burned patients are reported. The clinical course, diagnostic problems and treatment options are described and discussed. From these cases we conclude that central venous catheter thrombosis should be included early in the differential diagnosis of trunk and extremity oedema in patients with indwelling central venous catheters and that thrombolytic therapy is safe and effective even in the severely burned patient.