Key result
Accidental intrapericardial infusion of 5-fluorouracil due to a Hickman catheter perforation caused pericarditis and cardiac arrhythmias, from which the patient recovered without chronic dysfunction.
Case Report (n=1)
Accidental intrapericardial infusion of 5-fluorouracil via a perforated Hickman catheter can cause pericarditis and arrhythmias, but may resolve without chronic cardiac dysfunction.
Raises caution for central line integrity before 5-FU infusion; leaves open whether imaging protocols prevent pericardial events.
Venous access devices (VAD) have become an important tool in the management of patients with cancer. Multiple complications can occur as a consequence of insertion of a VAD. The authors report a case of a Hickman catheter perforating the wall of the superior vena cava into the pericardium, resulting in accidental intrapericardial infusion of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). Pericarditis and cardiac arrhythmias developed, but the patient did not have cardiac tamponade. She recovered from the event without apparent chronic cardiac dysfunction.
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Cathcart-Rake et al. (1991) conducted a case report in Cancer (n=1). Hickman catheter perforation resulting in intrapericardial infusion of 5-fluorouracil was evaluated on Pericarditis, cardiac arrhythmias, and cardiac tamponade. Accidental intrapericardial infusion of 5-fluorouracil due to a Hickman catheter perforation caused pericarditis and cardiac arrhythmias, from which the patient recovered without chronic dysfunction.
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