Carotid artery repair after erroneous insertion of a hemodialysis catheter: case report

The internal jugular vein is increasingly being used as a route for dual-lumen hemodialysis catheter placement. The use of jugular catheters as vascular access for hemodialysis can be associated with serious complications. The most frequent problems are the arterial puncture and haematoma. We present a rare complication of catheterization of the right common carotid artery during dual-lumen catheter placement into the right internal jugular vein. The complication was diagnosed the next day and the catheter was removed operatively. A review of the literature on complicated carotid artery catheterization is also presented.