[Damage to a stent caused by a Shaldon catheter]

Area of Science:

• Interventional Cardiology
• Nephrology
• Vascular Surgery

Background:

• Central venous stenosis is increasingly treated with stent implantation in patients requiring chronic hemodialysis.
• Stent placement in central veins can pose challenges for subsequent central venous catheterization procedures.

Observation:

• A case report details a 57-year-old female hemodialysis patient who underwent angioplasty and stenting for right subclavian vein stenosis.
• Five weeks post-procedure, the patient presented with a thrombosed dialysis shunt, necessitating central venous catheter placement.
• Radiographs revealed significant damage to the previously implanted stent during catheter insertion via the internal jugular vein.

Findings:

• The case demonstrates that stent damage can occur during central venous catheterization.
• No stent dislocation or thrombosis was observed, but the stent structure was compromised.

Implications:

• Knowledge of stent location is critical before performing central venous catheterization.
• Venous puncture should be performed under fluoroscopic guidance when catheterization near a stent is unavoidable to minimize risks of stent compromise.