Journal of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine 11 (2018) 101–104
DOI:10.3233/NPM-181726
IOS Press
101
Case Report
Extravasation of total parenteral
nutrition into the liver from an upper
extremity peripherally inserted central
venous catheter
Arpit Gupta
a,b
, Alok Bhutada
b
, Miheret Yitayew
b
and Shantanu Rastogi
b,*
a
Division of Neonatology, Maimonides Infants and Children’s Hospital, Brooklyn, NY, USA
b
Division of Neonatology, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
Received 16 February 2017
Revised 4 September 2017
Accepted 19 September 2017
Abstract. Peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) are the mainstay of central venous access in preterm infants, and
one of the common procedures performed in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Complications of PICC include infection,
mechanical dysfunction, thrombosis, migration, and extravasation of the infusate. In this report, we describe a case of PICC
inserted from an upper extremity with migration into the inferior vena cava (IVC) and the hepatic vein associated with
extravasation of the total parenteral nutrition (TPN) into the peritoneum and the liver. This case highlights the vigilance
required not only to insert but for the maintenance of PICC to prevent complications associated with migration of PICC.
Keywords: Preterm infant, PICC, central catheter, hyperalimentation, malposition, liver abscess, necrotizing enterocolitis
1. Introduction
PICC are widely used in the NICU for long-term
venous access mainly to deliver total parenteral nutri-
tion. Common sites of PICC insertion in neonates are
veins in the upper extremity, lower extremity and in
the scalp. Recent studies showed no difference in the
overall incidence of catheter related complication rate
between upper extremity and lower extremity PICC
insertion sites but extravasation was more often with
lower extremity insertion [1, 2]. Catheter migration
*
Address for correspondence: Shantanu Rastogi, MD, MMM,
Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Maimonides Infant and Chil-
dren’s Hospital, 4802 Tenth Ave, K-113, Brooklyn, NY 11219,
USA. Tel.: +1 718 283 8853; E-mail: srastogi@maimonidesmed.
org.
and extravasation of infusate into the pleural space,
pericardial space, abdominal cavity, and spinal canal
has been reported previously as a complication of
PICC [3]. In most of the reported cases the central
catheter was inserted in the lower extremities but in
our patient catheter tip migrated into the IVC from
an upper extremity inserted PICC, which is unusual
and has not been reported earlier.
2. Case report
An Asian baby boy born to 30-year-old G4P0031
mother with severe preeclampsia at 28 weeks of ges-
tation by cesarean section. Baby was appropriate for
gestational age with birth weight was 980 grams.
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