FRACTURE OF AN INTRAVENOUS CANNULA IN THE HAND: A CASE REPORT

초록

Background: Intravenous cannula insertion is important, given that it is the most common invasive procedure in the emergency department for blood sampling, fluid resuscitation, and intravenous drug administration. Complications of intrave-nous catheterization include pain, phlebitis, extravasation, inflammation, and embolization. Fracture of an intravenous can-nula is rare, but delayed removal may result in secondary dam-age, such as vasculitis or embolization, with critical consequences. Here, we report a case of intravenous cannula fracture that occurred in our emergency department.Case Presentation: A 63-year-old woman with a history of left ovarian cancer visited our emergency department owing to poor oral intake and general weakness. Intravenous catheter-ization using an 18 gauge cannula was attempted for intrave-nous fluid administration by a skilled operator, but it failed owing to collapsed veins and poor skin condition. After several attempts, a vein in the patient's hand was ruptured, and the pa-tient complained of severe pain. The cannula was removed, but one-third of the cannula tip could not be seen. X-ray imaging was performed to locate the fragment of the cannula, and venotomy was performed for removal of the foreign body in the emergency department.Conclusion: Emergency physicians and nurses should be vigi-lant about potential risk factors that can cause fracture of an intravenous cannula, and after the fracture is discovered, rapid removal of the cannula tip should be performed in the emer-gency department.

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