Abnormal catheter mobility in a totally implantable venous access depending on the upright or supine position in an obese patient

The authors advise on an exceptional complication in a totally implantable venous access and give recommendations on how to avoid this problem. In an obese person, one week after the implantation of a totally implantable veno us access, a chest X-ray showed that the catheter was too short. In the ope rative room, at the time of the second intervention, the radioscopy did not find this anomaly. The subcutaneous injection port was positioned too low. When the patient was in a supine position, the subcutaneous injection port was in the correct position but when she was in an upright position, the b rest descended and pulled down the subcutaneous injection port and the cath eter. (C) 2001 Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.