Missing Hemodialysis Catheter Guidewire and Retrieval Via Inguinal Surgery: A Case Report

Introduction: Hemodialysis catheters are routinely inserted to initiate urgent or temporary hemodialysis. While the procedure is relatively safe, rare complications such as retained guidewire may occur. Case presentation: We present the case of retained internal jugular vein hemodialysis catheter guidewire in a 25 years old male with acute on chronic kidney disease. The patient underwent one session of unremarkable hemodialysis and remained asymptomatic until the retained guidewire was detected. The intact guidewire was retrieved by the cardiothoracic and vascular surgery team via inguinal surgery on the sixth day of the catheter insertion. No intra- or post-operative complications occurred. Conclusion: Percutaneous endovascular surgery is preferred retrieval method for retained guidewire. However, in a resource limited setting, open surgical method could be successfully employed to retrieve missing guidewire.