Hiroshima Yuki, Tajima Katsushi, Shiono Yousuke, Suzuki Ikuko, Kohno Kei, Kato Yuichi, Shunji Kawamura, Kato Takeo
Departments of Neurology, Hematology, Metabolism, Endocrinology, and Diabetology, Yamagata University School of Medicine, Japan.
Intern Med. 2012;51(18):2609-12. doi: 10.2169/internalmedicine.51.7794. Epub 2012 Sep 15.
Cardiac tamponade caused by perforation is a rare but potentially lethal complication of central venous catheter (CVC) insertion. We herein report a case of cardiac perforation associated with the use of a soft J-tipped guide wire. Twenty minutes after the insertion of a CVC, the patient developed unexpected cardiac arrest. An autopsy revealed 400 mL of pericardial blood. The right ventricular wall was 1 mm thick with about 10 myocyte layers, which is one-third that of the normal heart. A histological analysis revealed widespread fatty infiltration of the right ventricular wall (right ventricular lipomatosis).
