Longstanding intracardiac catheter embolism. An unusual autopsy finding.

The use of central venous catheters has greatly increased and so has the incidence of major complications. Catheter tip embolism is especially hazardous and sometimes may be fatal. We report a case of sudden death as a late and unusual complication of a catheter fragment embolism. The patient, a 39-year-old alcoholic man, suffered a nonreversible cardiac arrest shortly after his admission to hospital. Autopsy revealed a 54-cm-long fragment of an intravenous catheter in the right ventricle and the pulmonary trunk. Death was attributed to a cardiac arrhythmia.