INTRA-ARTERIAL MIGRATION OF A BLUNT GUIDEWIRE DURING FEMORAL VENOUS CATHETERIZATION: A CLINICAL CASE REPORT

The use of a central venous catheter in an intensive care unit is a common practice. The femoral line is the emergency venous access of choice because it is quickly accessible and easily identifiable by the operator. However, the complications associated with this procedure remain quite considerable. The accidental migration of the guidewire during the Seldinger technique is exceptional but potentially dangerous complications given the risk of vascular and cardiac perforation. We report a rare case of an accidental intra-arterial femoral migration of a blunt guidewire when the venous central line passed mistakenly over the guidewire in the femoral artery. The removal of the guidewire by interventional radiology remains the solution of choice in such a situation, which could not be achieve due to the impossibility of moving the patient to radiology service because of her unstable hemodynamic conditions.