Cardiac tamponade following insertion of an internal jugular vein catheter for hemodialysis.

Central venous cannulation is widely used in patients with end-stage renal disease when venous access was not adequately created in advance to be functioning when replacement therapy is required. As with all invasive procedures, central venous cannulation is associated with a number of complications. Cardiac tamponade is a well-recognized complication of this procedure and its mortality is high. It is thought to arise from the guide-wire, dilator and venous cannulation perforating the right atrium, right ventricle and, on rare occasions, the superior vena cava. In this study we describe a case of cardiac tamponade that was caused by perforating the inferior vena cava (IVC) via the guide-wire while attempting internal jugular vein (IJV) catheterization under echographic guidance.