This case highlights that generalized convulsion is a very rare, but serious adverse effect of tranexamic acid. Generalized convulsion should be considered as a potential cause of transient hyperammonemia.
Totally implantable venous access ports (TIVAPs) are frequently used in oncology patients who require long-term courses of chemotherapy. We report a silent, but potentially hazardous complication of catheter fracture and hepatic migration in a 64-year-old male. The patient presented with a painful, rapid swelling of subcutaneous tissue around the port area during a saline flush. A chest radiograph showed that the disconnected catheter had separated from the port and was no longer in its original location. A chest CT scan revealed that the disconnected catheter was found to be embolized to the right atrium, inferior vena cava and right hepatic vein. The patient was treated successfully with percutaneous transfemoral retrieval of the catheter under fluoroscopic guidance. To our knowledge, there have been no previous reports of migration of the fractured catheter of a TIVAP into the right hepatic vein. This case highlights that the integrity of TIVAPs should be ascertained before chemotherapeutic drugs are administered.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.