Soft J-tipped guide wires, though considered safe, can rarely cause lethal cardiac tamponade during central venous catheter insertion.
Soft J-tipped guidewires may cause tamponade during CVC insertion; case reports leave open true incidence and prevention needs.
Central venous catheter (CVC) insertion rarely causes cardiac tamponade due to perforation. Although it is a rare complication, it can be lethal if not identified early. We report a case of cardiac tamponade caused by internal jugular (IJ) central venous catheter (CVC) insertion using a soft J-tipped guide wire which is considered safe and rarely implicated with cardiac tamponade. A bedside transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) revealed a pericardial effusion with tamponade. An emergent bedside pericardiocentesis was done revealing bloody fluid and resulted in clinical stabilization.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Dwivedi et al. (2016) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: