Left paramediastinal catheter position (differential)

Last revised by Daniel MacManus on 22 Apr 2021

When a central venous catheter that is supposed to terminate in the superior vena cava or right atrium is abnormally located to the left of the mediastinum and below the level of the brachiocephalic vein, a limited differential of left paramediastinal catheter position should be considered 1:

Malpositions such as these occur most commonly with catheters inserted via left internal jugular vein approach 3,4.

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