Au F C, Badellino M
Department of Surgery, Temple University Health Sciences Center, Philadelphia 19140.
Chest. 1988 Apr;93(4):890-1. doi: 10.1378/chest.93.4.890.
A malpositioned central venous catheter can cause constant excessive pressure on one particular area of a central vein, thus leading to perforation and hydrothorax. The following is a case report of an iatrogenic hydrothorax caused by a malpositioned central venous catheter. The subtle sign of malposition is a slightly curled catheter tip.