The journal of vascular access
-
Review Case Reports
Persistent left superior vena cava: what the interventional nephrologist needs to know.
Variations in the course of the blood vessels are often incidental findings during clinical examination. Persistent left superior vena cava (PLSVC) is an uncommon anomaly, estimated to be present in about 0.3-0.5% of healthy individuals and in about 3-10% of patients with congenital heart disease. ⋯ Since it frequently goes undiagnosed because of lack of symptoms when not accompanied by other anomalies, variations of the superior vena cava should be considered, especially when central venous catheterization via the subclavian or internal jugular vein is difficult. The embryological development, diagnosis, and clinical implications of a PLSVC are therefore reviewed in this article.
-
Patency of the left superior vena cava (persistent left superior vena cava--PLSVC), although uncommon, is the most frequent anomaly of the thoracic vessels. It has been diagnosed in 0.3-0.5% of the general population. ⋯ We present the case of a 50-year-old HD patient in which the placement of a catheter through the left internal jugular vein, needed for HD treatment, revealed a PLSVC. After the demonstration of adequate draining of the vessel into the right atrium, replacement of this catheter for a cuffed tunneled HD catheter was done, which has since been used successfully for HD.
-
Review Case Reports
Surgical excision of infected arteriovenous grafts: technique and review.
Infected prosthetic arteriovenous grafts for hemodialysis present a profound risk to patient well being. Here we present five recent cases and describe our technique for total graft excision. We also review the literature and discuss the much debated role of partial, subtotal, and total graft excision.
-
Accurate measurement of the international normalized ratio (INR) may be difficult in hemodialysis (HD) patients with heparin-locked central catheters. Blood contamination with locking solutions may interfere with INR measurement when samples are collected directly from the catheter. ⋯ This novel sampling technique provides a convenient and simple method of monitoring INR among HD patients.
-
A persistent left superior vena cava (PLSVC) is a congenital anomaly of the systemic venous system. This anomaly is often discovered as an incidental result during central venous catheterization passing through the left subclavian or the left internal jugular vein. We report two cases of PLSVC in pediatric patients.