Percutaneous Removal of Intravascular Catheter Fragment - an Adaptation of the Toolbox

The first report of an intravascular catheter fragmentation was published in 1954 and ever since we have observed a remarkable evolution in the techniques of intravascular foreign body removal. The pioneer description of non-surgical foreign body removal dates back to 1964, with the report of a guidewire fragment withdrawal using a bronchoscopy biopsy forceps. Despite the availability of several dedicated devices, materials may have to be adapted at times to achieve technical success. We report the case of a patient with a Port-a-Cath catheter in the left subclavian vein, which had been placed 5 years before and whose intravascular portion was broken during withdrawal. It was successfully removed using the percutaneous approach.