Successful Removal of a Fractured Desilets-Hoffman Sheath in a Patient With a Loop Arteriovenous Graft: Balloon-Supported Retrieval Technique

Abstract

Introduction While a Desilets–Hoffman sheath rarely fractures, when it does, the presence of an intravenous foreign body can cause various complications. Case Presentation A 74-year-old woman receiving hemodialysis for end-stage renal disease via a left forearm arteriovenous graft (AVG) was referred to the interventional radiology department following thrombotic occlusion of the AVG. A corrective procedure was initiated, and the 7F Desilets–Hoffman sheath fractured after the purse-string suture. A .035-inch guidewire was passed through the fractured sheath, and a 3.0-mm x 60-mm balloon catheter was inflated, allowing for the successful removal of the sheath fragment without complications. Conclusion The fractured Desilets-Hoffman sheath was successfully removed in a patient with a loop arteriovenous graft using balloon-supported retrieval technique.