Surgical Management of a Hemodialysis Catheter-Induced Right Atrial Thrombus

Abstract

The placement of hemodialysis catheters are widely performed by vascular surgeons and surgical residents for use in both the hospital and the outpatient setting. Although long-term complications of this type of vascular access are relatively uncommon, an appreciation is warranted for the life-threatening complication of right atrial thrombus (RAT). Once recognized, medical or surgical management is mandatory to prevent further consequences from RAT. The optimal treatment for catheter-induced RAT is still controversial. Our case and review illustrates how the routine placement of a malpositioned hemodialysis catheter in a young man can lead to the serious complication of RAT that necessitated cardiac surgery after thrombolysis failed. We describe the successful surgical management of a hemodialysis catheter-induced RAT and suggest that in cases of large, mobile RATs with adherence to both atrial wall and catheter, suspicion or evidence of pulmonary embolus (PE), and low-risk surgical candidates, open thrombectomy may be an optimal and definitive treatment.