"Why are the Saturations Dropping?" The Blalock-Taussig Shunt Revisited.

CENTRAL CATHETER PLACEMENT is a common modality that allows for the administration of potentially caustic intravenous medications and provides a measure of central venous pressure (CVP) for patients in the intensive care setting. Insertion of central venous catheters via the internal jugular (IJ) vein in critically ill children is a relatively safe procedure compared with femoral and subclavian veins. Here, the authors present a potentially life-threatening complication of an IJ catheter malposition, unique to patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) and a right Blalock-Taussig shunt (BTS).