Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2013 Jul;5(2):78-81.
doi: 10.4103/2006-8808.128732.

Loss of guide wire: a lesson learnt review of literature

Rajiv Srivastav  1 , Vishal Yadav  2 , Dimpy Sharma  2 , Vikas Yadav  3
Affiliations
Case Reports

Loss of guide wire: a lesson learnt review of literature

Rajiv Srivastav et al. J Surg Tech Case Rep. 2013 Jul.

Abstract

Catheterization of central veins is a routine technique which is widely used in emergency department and medical intensive care units. Seldinger's technique is widely used to place central venous and arterial catheters and is generally considered safe. The technique does have multiple potential risks. Guide wire-related complications are rare but potentially serious. We describe a case of a lost guide wire during central venous catheter (CVC) insertion followed by a review of the literature of this topic. Measures which can be taken to prevent such complications are explained in detail as well as recommended steps to remedy errors should they occur.

Keywords: Catheterization central venous; catheters; complications; surgical procedures.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Chest X-ray showing guide wire of catheter had entered in the inferior vena cava (IVC) via the right internal jugular vein
Figure 2
Figure 2
X-ray pelvis showing guide wire catheter had remained in the right iliac vein at the point of bifurcation into the internal and external iliac veins
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Wolf F, Schernthaner RE, Dirisamer A, Schoder M, Funovics M, Kettenbach J, et al. Endovascular management of lost or mis-placed intravascular objects: Experiences of 12 years. Cardiovasc Intervent Radiol. 2008;31:563–8. - PubMed
    1. Abuhasna S, Abdallah D, Ur Rahman M. The forgotten guide wire: A rare complication of hemodialysis catheter insertion. J Clin Imaging Sci. 2011;1:40. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Brunicardi F, Brandt M, Andersen D, Billiar T, Dunn D, Hunter J, et al. New York: McGraw-Hill Prof Med/Tech; 2010. Schwartz's Principles of Surgery; pp. 314–42.
    1. Guo H, Peng F, Ueda T. Loss of the guide wire: A case report. Circ J. 2006;70:1520–2. - PubMed
    1. Schummer W, Schummer C, Gaser E, Bartunek R. Loss of the guide wire: Mishap or blunder? Br J Anaesth. 2002;88:144–6. - PubMed

Publication types