Right Atrial Mass Related to Indwelling Central Venous Catheters in Patients Undergoing Dialysis

Abstract

Central venous catheters are used for the administration of fluids, drugs, blood products, total parenteral nutrition and for haemodynamic measurements. In patients with renal failure planned for dialysis, indwelling central venous catheters are used prior to forming an arterio-venous shunt. Infected right atrial thrombus is a rare phenomenon in adults and particularly unusual in patients undergoing dialysis. We describe two patients, undergoing dialysis for short periods, with indwelling central venous catheters and a right atrial mass, suspected for infected right atrial thrombus, detected by transoesophageal echocardiography. © 2000 The European Society of Cardiology.