Rare Iatrogenic Cardiovascular Embolization Following Dialysis

Abstract

Intracardiac or intrapulmonary dislodgement of dialysis catheter or guidewire coating is extremely rare. When present, it can be potentially lethal as it may get complicated by arrhythmias, myocardial or pulmonary artery rupture, valvular perforation, pulmonary thromboembolism, infarction, and infective endocarditis. Percutaneous removal should be attempted as an initial measure and is usually effective in most of the cases. We report 2 such cases, where in first patient it was the hemodialysis catheter which broke, with a large part migrating into the heart, while in second patient, it was the hydrophilic coating of the guidewire that migrated into the pulmonary arteries. Percutaneous retrieval of these foreign bodies was done successfully in both the cases.