Difficult extraction of long-term central venous catheters in children—case report

Although many publications address the complications associated with insertion of long-term, indwelling central venous catheters, there are only scattered reports of problems related to their removal. We report 4 cases of pediatric patients in whom the lines could not be pulled from the vein by standard methods, requiring 2 intraperiosteal clavicle resections with venorrhaphy, 1 femoral vein exploration and reconstruction, and 1 jugular venorrhaphy. Despite their relative biocompatibility, long-term silicone lines may become fixed in the vein. The rare and unpredictable occurrence of this problem may present the surgeon with unexpected intraoperative dilemmas. Before attempting localized extraction, surgeons should consider what venue, equipment, and anesthesia support may be required to successfully remove these catheters.