Occult Hemothorax after Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI)

Abstract

We present a case of occult hemothorax, a rare but dangerous complication resulting from cannulation of the internal jugular vein. To date we are not aware of any case reports of bleeding sequelae resulting from direct parenchymal lung injury. The insidious nature of this complication, in which the clinical presentation occurred several hours after central venous cannulation, provides an important reminder for clinicians to follow up central line placement with imaging studies. In this case, the latent period prior to the appearance of clinical manifestations of hemorrhage along with the patient's subsequent acute decompensation raises questions as to the nature of the underlying injury and mechanisms of both detection and prevention. The patient underwent two right video-assisted thoracoscopic surgical explorations, the first revealed ongoing venous bleeding from within the parenchyma of the right upper lobe which was controlled by a wedge resection. She was ultimately discharged home and, as of the time of this writing, appears to have recovered completely, suffering no long-term sequelae as a result of this complication.