The left internal jugular vein approach was used to place a tunneled catheter in a 49-year old patient who has been on hemodialysis for the past 4 years.
https://www.isn-online.org/hemodialysis/education-by-topic/hemodialysis/tunneled-dialysis-catheter#sigProGalleriab584fdc67f
Where is the tunneled dialysis catheter located?
A) Hemiazygos vein
B) Descending aorta
C) Left sided superior vena cava
D) Left internal mammary artery
E) Mediastinum
The left internal jugular vein approach was used to place a tunneled catheter in a 49-year old patient who has been on hemodialysis for the past 4 years. The patient has had multiple episodes of catheter related infections in the past requiring frequent catheter exchanges. The catheter shown in figures above was placed in the dilated hemiazygos vein. A radiocontrast injection through the catheter reveals the contrast traversing the communicating veins across the thoracic spine in to the azygos vein and eventually to the superior vena cava as shown in figures below.