Case Report
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Oct 16, 2023; 11(29): 7207-7213
Published online Oct 16, 2023. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v11.i29.7207
Emphysematous thrombophlebitis caused by a misplaced central venous catheter: A case report
Ni Chen, Hua-Jun Chen, Tao Chen, Wen Zhang, Xiao-Yun Fu, Zhou-Xiong Xing
Ni Chen, Hua-Jun Chen, Tao Chen, Wen Zhang, Xiao-Yun Fu, Zhou-Xiong Xing, Department of Critical Care Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi 563000, Guizhou Province, China
Zhou-Xiong Xing, Department of Critical Care Medicine, Kweichow Moutai Hospital, Renhuai 564500, Guizhou Province, China
Author contributions: Chen N reviewed the literature, and contributed to manuscript drafting; Chen HJ and Zhang W summarized the clinical features and drafted the manuscript; Chen T and Fu XY helped draft the manuscript and review the literature; Xing ZX helped review the literature, performed the bedside ultrasound and made important contributions to the manuscript; all authors have approved the final version of the manuscript.
Supported by Foundation of Guizhou Science and Technology Department, No. QIANKEHEZHICHEN[2022]YIBAN179; Foundation of Kweichow Moutai Hospital, No. MTyk2022-12; Foundation of Department of Health of Guizhou Province, No. gzwkj2021-036; and Guizhou Education Department, No. QIANJIAOHEKYZI[2018]239.
Informed consent statement: Informed written consent was obtained from the patient’s son for publication of this report and any accompanying images.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to CARE Checklist (2016).
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Zhou-Xiong Xing, MD, Doctor, Department of Critical Care Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, No. 149 Dalian Road, Zunyi 563000, Guizhou Province, China. xingzhouxiong111@126.com
Received: July 18, 2023
Peer-review started: July 18, 2023
First decision: August 9, 2023
Revised: August 22, 2023
Accepted: September 19, 2023
Article in press: September 19, 2023
Published online: October 16, 2023
Processing time: 87 Days and 5.9 Hours
Core Tip

Core Tip: Central venous catheters (CVCs) often cause life-threatening complications, especially CVC-related bloodstream infection and catheter-related thrombosis. Emphysematous thrombophlebitis is a rare but life-threatening CVC-related bloodstream infection associated with thrombosis and gas formation in the vein. However, timely diagnosis remains a challenge for clinicians. Here, we report an unusual case of misplaced CVC-induced emphysematous thrombophlebitis rapidly diagnosed by point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS). POCUS revealed thrombosis surrounding the misplaced CVC in the right internal jugular vein and gas bubbles manifesting as hyperechoic lines with dirty shadowing and comet-tail artifacts. Knowledge of air-related artifacts may help physicians rapidly diagnose emphysematous thrombophlebitis.