Key result
Cephalic vein cutdown during ICD implantation can result in rare iatrogenic vascular injuries and subsequent self-resolving brachial plexus neuropraxia.
Case Report (n=2)
Cephalic vein cutdown during ICD implantation can rarely result in combined vascular injury and subsequent brachial plexopathy due to electrocautery or hematoma compression.
Alerts clinicians to rare plexopathy risk with cephalic cutdown; leaves open optimal venous access techniques for ICD implantation.
In this article we discuss two cases that highlight possible complications of cardiac device implantation. In particular, our first case involves a patient who, during implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) implantation, sustained injuries to her subclavian artery and vein and subsequently developed a self-resolving neuropraxia of the brachial plexus. In our second case, the patient, also during ICD implantation, had his left cephalic vein nicked during cutdown. Post-op he then developed a hematoma-induced left brachial plexus injury that also eventually self-resolved. A literature search has not shown other incidences of iatrogenic brachial plexus injuries from ICD implantation as described.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Xu et al. (2017) conducted a case report in Complications of implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) implantation (n=2). ICD implantation via cephalic vein cutdown was evaluated on Vascular and neurologic injury. Cephalic vein cutdown during ICD implantation can result in rare iatrogenic vascular injuries and subsequent self-resolving brachial plexus neuropraxia.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: