Cardiac tamponade: a rare complication of central venous catheter – a clinical case report

The extensive use of central venous catheters (CVC) in a hospital environment leads to increased iatrogenic complications, as more catheters are used enclosed and its maintenance is prolonged. Several complications are known to be related to central venous catheter, of which the uncommon cardiac tamponade (CT), hardly recognized and associated with high mortality. We present a clinical case, with favorable outcome, of a patient who developed a CT 17 days after CVC placement, and try to reflect on the measures that can be taken to reduce its incidence, as well as the therapeutic approaches to practice in the presence of a suspected CT.