A Port-A-Cath silent embolization to the left distal pulmonary artery: A novel percutaneous approach for a challenging case

Totally implantable venous access port devices have been commonly used to monitor hemodynamic parameters and to infuse medications, blood, other blood products, and fluids. They are also crucial for the chronic and acute care of patients with many diseases, namely for patients with cancer in need of long-term chemotherapy treatment. Nevertheless, several complications are associated with the use of these devices. One of these complications is catheter migration, most commonly to the pulmonary artery (PA), the right ventricle, and the right atrium (1, 2). One exceptional yet potentially severe complication in using this device for treatment and port catheter placement is the embolization of one of the parts of the device. However, since the majority of them are asymptomatic, the condition is usually not detected for a long time and is usually incidentally diagnosed. The embolization may lead to dangerous complications in the heart and lungs, such as cardiac arrhythmia, myocardial disorders, arterial rupture (in the heart or the lungs), thrombosis, perforations in the heart valves, pulmonary embolism, and endocardial infection. The initial intervention usually includes a percutaneous approach, such as the loop snare techniques (3). We present a case report that includes a Port-A-Cath fracture and embolization of a part. In this case, these incidence rates were recorded by coincidence during a casual chest X-ray. We used a novel percutaneous retrieval approach for a challenging case in our center