Femoral placement of a totally implantable venous access port with spontaneous catheter fracture: case report

Abstract

Background: The incidence of catheter fracture after standard positioning of a totally implantable venous access port (TIVAP) is reported to be 1.1%–5.0%; however, the incidence of catheter fracture after TIVAP implantation at a femoral site remains unclear. Case presentation: In a 30-year-old man with angiosarcoma of the right atrium, tumor embolism was observed from the left brachiocephalic vein to the superior vena cava. A TIVAP was implanted in the right femur. A catheter fracture was spontaneously observed after 7 months. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of catheter fracture in a TIVAP implantation at a femoral site.