Endovascular Forceps Assisted Stuck Catheter Removal: A Case Report

Abstract

Despite the high degree of safety associated with image-guided central venous access placement, the increasing use of long-term central venous access devices has brought greater attention to the chronic complications these patients encounter, particularly in the hemodialysis patient population. The rare occurrence of a stuck catheter can create a challenging situation in which the risk of removal and sometimes advanced techniques required must be weighed against the risk of infection and thrombosis associated with leaving the catheter in place. Removal of the stuck catheter through endovascular approach has been described by multiple techniques. The case presented is a successful stuck catheter removal through a novel technique by use of endovascular forceps following failure of other methods.