Catheter Fracture and Embolization Related to an Arm Venous Port

This 55-year-old female had a chest X-ray during a follow-up visit for the management of her breast cancer. The chest X-ray demonstrated an embolized venous catheter superimposed upon the mediastinum. It was determined that the catheter of the patient's arm port had fractured and embolized to the pulmonary circulation. The catheter was retrieved, in the interventional radiology suite, under fluoroscopic guidance. The patient suffered no ill effects. Subsequently, one day later, the old vein port was removed and a new arm port and associated catheter were implanted to facilitate the delivery of the patient's ongoing chemotherapy

Retrograde Ureteric Stents via an Ileal Conduit

Patients having undergone pelvic exenteration with urinary diversion can present with short- and long-term complications such as ureteral strictures, anastomotic leakage, calculi, or fluid collections (abscess, urinoma, lymphocele, or hematoma). A dehiscence resulting in a perineal urinary fistula is an uncommon late complication of urinary diversion surgery; surgical treatment for this complication is less desirable because of postsurgical or radiation-induced pelvic changes that can occur. As a result, nephrostomy or antegrade stenting of the kidneys is more viable. Retrograde ureteric stent insertion is discussed in relation to a patient suffering from ileal conduit dehiscence. The presence of these stents probably helped diminish the potential for complications during subsequent nephrostomy tube insertion

Percutaneous subclavian artery stent-graft placement following failed ultrasound guided subclavian venous access

BACKGROUND: Ultrasound guidance for central and peripheral venous access has been proven to improve success rates and reduce complications of venous cannulation. Appropriately trained and experienced operators add significantly to diminished patient morbidity related to venous access procedures. We discuss a patient who required an arterial stent-graft to prevent arterial hemorrhage following inadvertent cannulation of the proximal, ventral, right subclavian artery related to unsuccessful ultrasound guided access of the subclavian vein. CASE PRESENTATION: During pre-operative preparation for aortic valve replacement and aorto-coronary bypass surgery an anesthetist attempted ultrasound guided venous access. The ultrasound guided attempt to access the right jugular vein failed and the ultrasound guided attempt at accessing the subclavian vein resulted in inappropriate placement of an 8.5 F sheath in the arterial system. Following angiographic imaging and specialist consultations, an arterial stent-graft was deployed in the right subclavian artery rather than perform an extensive anterior chest wall resection and dissection to extract the arterial sheath. The patient tolerated the procedure, without complication, despite occlusion of the right internal mammary artery and the right vertebral artery. There were no neurologic sequelae. There was no evidence of hemorrhage after subclavian artery sheath extraction and stent-graft implantation. CONCLUSION: The attempted ultrasound guided puncture of the subclavian vein resulted in placement of an 8.5 F subclavian artery catheter. Entry of the catheter into the proximal subclavian artery beneath the medial clavicle, the medial first rib and the manubrium suggests that the operator, most likely, did not directly visualize the puncture needle enter the vessel with the ultrasound. The bones of the anterior chest impede the ultrasound beam and the vessels in this area would not be visible to ultrasound imaging. Appropriate training and supervised experience in ultrasound guided venous access coupled with quality ultrasound equipment would most likely have significantly diminished the likelihood of this complication. The potential for significant patient morbidity, and possible mortality, was prevented by implantation of an arterial stent-graft

Diagnostic pitfalls in fine needle aspiration of solitary pulmonary nodules: two cases with radio-cyto-histological correlation

BACKGROUND: Fine needle aspiration is an important tool for diagnosis and preoperative evaluation of solitary nodules of the lung. It provides a definitive diagnosis in most patients at low cost with minimal trauma. However, because of the nature of the study and the presentation of the cells in a more distorted and incomplete tissue structure than a histological slide, false positive results can occur. Prior detailed clinical knowledge about the patient, procedures and methods of radiology in obtaining the aspirate specimen is extremely useful in the accurate interpretation of fine needle cytological specimens. CASE PRESENTATION: We report two cases of solitary pulmonary nodules in two elderly females, which were initially diagnosed as malignant by fine needle aspiration biopsy. Both cases subsequently underwent pulmonary lobectomy in which, one turned out to be a pulmonary hamartoma and the other appeared to be a middle lobe syndrome of the right lung with liver tissue contamination at the time of fine needle aspiration of the lung. CONCLUSIONS: We are now strong believers that much care must be taken in the interpretation of fine needle aspiration of solitary nodules of the lung. Complete study of the entire specimen, including the cell block, is warranted, since what one interprets as malignant, could have different features in another part of the sample. Last but not the least, prior knowledge of the complete clinical history of the patient together with the salient radiological findings would greatly facilitate the cytopathologist to reach an accurate diagnosis

Multicenter evaluation of the clinical utility of laparoscopy-assisted ERCP in patients with Roux-en-Y gastric bypass

Background and Aims The obesity epidemic has led to increased use of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB). These patients have an increased incidence of pancreaticobiliary diseases yet standard ERCP is not possible due to surgically altered gastroduodenal anatomy. Laparoscopic-ERCP (LA-ERCP) has been proposed as an option but supporting data are derived from single center small case-series. Therefore, we conducted a large multicenter study to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and outcomes of LA-ERCP. Methods This is retrospective cohort study of adult patients with RYGB who underwent LA-ERCP in 34 centers. Data on demographics, indications, procedure success, and adverse events were collected. Procedure success was defined when all of the following were achieved: reaching the papilla, cannulating the desired duct and providing endoscopic therapy as clinically indicated. Results A total of 579 patients (median age 51, 84% women) were included. Indication for LA-ERCP was biliary in 89%, pancreatic in 8%, and both in 3%. Procedure success was achieved in 98%. Median total procedure time was 152 minutes (IQR 109-210) with median ERCP time 40 minutes (IQR 28-56). Median hospital stay was 2 days (IQR 1-3). Adverse events were 18% (laparoscopy-related 10%, ERCP-related 7%, both 1%) with the clear majority (92%) classified as mild/moderate whereas 8% were severe and 1 death occurred. Conclusion Our large multicenter study indicates that LA-ERCP in patients with RYGB is feasible with a high procedure success rate comparable with that of standard ERCP in patients with normal anatomy. ERCP-related adverse events rate is comparable with conventional ERCP, but the overall adverse event rate was higher due to the added laparoscopy-related events

A Matter of Life and Text : The Lives of a Fifteenth Century Florentine Book of Hours in the University of Ottawa’s rare books library

While the vast majority of scholarship on Books of Hours focus on luxury manuscripts, concentrating almost entirely on the book’s artistic program and patronage, much less attention has been paid to the more workaday Books of Hours which were mass-produced for laity with the means and literacy to acquire and use them. The Morisset Hours, a manuscript Book of Hours in the University of Ottawa’s rare books library, is such book, and despite its poor condition and total lack of illumination or m..

Comparison of the Quality of Life of Patients with Breast or Colon Cancer with an Arm Vein Port (TIVAD) Versus a Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC)

Introduction: Venous access is a crucial element in chemotherapy delivery. It remains unclear whether cancer patients prefer a port to a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC). Our study aimed to assess cancer patients’ satisfaction with their venous access device and to compare the quality of life (QoL) of subjects with a PICC to those with a port. Methods: In this prospective cohort study, EORTC QLQ-C30, and a locally developed quality of life survey (QLAVD), designed to assess satisfaction with venous access devices, were administered to breast or colorectal cancer patients over a one-year period following the device insertion. Mixed effects models were used to assess changes on mean scores at different time points. Results: A total of 101 patients were recruited over a three-year period, (PICC group, n = 50; port group, n = 51). Survey response rates for months one and three were 72% and 48%, respectively. Overall, no significant differences were noted between the two groups in relation to EORTC QOL. At three months, the mean pain scores were 3.5 ± 2.3 for the port and 1.3 ± 0.75 for PICC (<0.001). The mean score for a negative effect of the venous access device on psychosocial well-being was 6.0 ± 4.1 for PICC and 3.0 ± 2.7 for the port (p = 0.005). Complications related to PICCs occurred in 38% patients versus 41% with a port (p > 0.24). Conclusions: Although subjects with a port experienced more pain during the device insertion or access for chemotherapy, it had a smaller negative impact on psychosocial scores than the PICC. No significant differences in complications rates were observed between the two devices

Experience with a triple-lumen catheter for autologous stem-cell transplantation

We relate our experience with the Cook (Cook Medial Inc., Bloomington, IN, USA), triple-lumen hyperalimentation (HAS) catheter for treatment related to autologous stem-cell transplant. Nineteen HAS catheters were implanted in the right jugular vein, and tunneled to the right anterior chest wall, under imaging guidance. Retrospectively, we reviewed each catheter. Three patient's experienced “ballooning” of the middle (white) lumen of the HAS catheter during routine use. We assessed, time in situ, follow-up imaging, chemotherapy regimen, possibility of systemic or device infection, tissue pathology of the patient's malignancy, and other factors to attempt to determine if there were any associations that could explain the catheter lumen failure. After this pilot study of the HAS-catheter in these 19 patients, we discontinued use of this device at our facility due to mechanical problems of ballooned and obstructed middle lumens. There was no obvious cause, or association, detected to explain the ballooning identified

Uterine Artery Pseudoaneurysm in the Setting of Delayed Postpartum Hemorrhage: Successful Treatment with Emergency Arterial Embolization

Postpartum hemorrhage is a major cause of maternal mortality. Though uncommon, uterine artery pseudoaneurysm can follow uterine dilatation and curettage (D + C) and needs to be considered in the differential diagnosis. This 30-year-old G1P1 woman presented with right upper quadrant pain and vaginal bleeding. She was afebrile but her white blood count was significantly increased (22.2×109 /L). One week prior, she had undergone a Cesarean delivery which was complicated by hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count syndrome (HELLP), fetal dystocia, and chorioamnionitis. Uterine dilatation and curettage (D & C) and placement of a Bakri intrauterine balloon, performed for suspected retained products of conception, failed to control her postpartum bleeding. The patient wished to have a hysterectomy only as a last resort in order to preserve fertility. Emergency uterine artery angiography revealed a left uterine artery pseudoaneurysm and contrast extravasation. The patient was successfully treated with selective embolization. Computed tomography (CT) later revealed dehiscence of her uterine Cesarean section incision with an intra-abdominal fluid collection. This collection was drained. She also developed disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC) syndrome as well as multiple pulmonary emboli which were both successfully treated. We discuss this unique case of uterine artery pseudoaneurysm with associated uterine dehiscence