Failure of Minimally Invasive Arm Port Retrieval Caused by Post-Thrombotic Adhesions of the Port Catheter

Excerpt

Peripherally placed venous arm ports are used for patients who need temporary central venous access, e.g., chemotherapy or artificial nourishment [1]. Complications during or after port implantation include accidental arterial puncture, seroma, hematoma, infection, sepsis, thrombosis, cardiac arrhythmia, and catheter dislocation, disconnection, occlusion, rupture, and dysfunction [2‐5]. If the device is no longer needed, it can be relatively easily removed with the patient under local anaesthesia. However, the clinical literature on port retrieval failure is largely incomplete, with only one recent study in which reasons for and complications during removal of pectorally placed port devices were evaluated [6]. We recently experienced the uncommon case of interventional port-removal failure 4 years after implantation because of post-thrombotic adhesions. This rare case therefore highlights the problems encountered during an attempt at minimally invasive retrieval and the necessity for a surgical approach. …