Intrapleural central venous catheter malposition

Percutaneous insertion of central venous catheter (CVC) is a valuable procedure in managing critically ill patients. However, placement of CVC is not without its complications. The author reports a case in which a CVC was inserted into the right pleural cavity which was not detected by the usual clinical methods of confirming catheter placement and an antero-posterior (A-P) chest x-ray.