Cardiac tamponade caused by caval catheter--a radiological demonstration of an unusual complication.

An adult male developed shock some hours after the start of intravenous alimentation. The caval catheter, which had been inserted through the right subclavian vein, was later radiographically demonstrated to be in the pericardial sac. We reviewed the literature on this and other complications of caval catheters. From this information and our own experience we offer some suggestions for prevention and management of some of the complications of caval catheters.