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Ventricular tachycardia from embolized central venous port

Bennett Samuel, Christopher Ratnasamy, Joseph J. Vettukattil

Central venous access is typically required for prolonged administration of intravenous medications. Implantable ports are most frequently used in cancer chemotherapy. The spontaneous fragmentation and embolization of these catheters is not uncommon and can present rare but potentially life-threatening complications such as ventricular tachycardia (VT). We present an adolescent with a 2-week history of intermittent VT unrelated to activity. A chest x-ray confirmed spontaneous fragmentation of the central line and embolization in the right ventricle and pulmonary artery. Successful retrieval of the embolized catheter was performed without any complications using the gooseneck snare technique and the patient was free of symptoms at follow up. Chest x-rays can be beneficial in ruling out other causes of VT and in avoiding unnecessary treatment or management.