A Rare Vascular Anomaly during Central Venous Catheterization: A Persistent Left-Sided Superior Vena Cava

Özet

A persistent left-sided superior vena cava (PLSVC) is the most frequent abnormality of the venous system; however, it is not a verywell-known variation among physicians. Herein we report the case of a patient with a PLSVC who was diagnosed after central venouscatheterization (CVC). An 80-year-old man was admitted to the emergency room with cardiopulmonary arrest. After the return of spon-taneous circulation, CVC was blindly performed from the left jugular vein without any complications. However, routine chest X-ray aftercatheterization revealed that the catheter was moving down directly to the left heart. Thoracic computed tomography showed the rightbrachiocephalic vein draining into the left brachiocephalic vein and forming the left superior vena cava in front of the aortic arch. Theleft superior vena cava merged into the right atrium after crossing the left pulmonary artery. CVC is widely used in clinical practice, andtherefore clinicians should be aware of possible variations in central veins, particularly during blind catheterization.