Delayed Treatment of Iatrogenic Brachial Arteriovenous Fistula

Abstract

Iatrogenic vascular injuries may occur during venipuncture, arterial cannulation, or catheterization procedures. Brachial arteriovenous fistula (AVF) resulting from antecubital vascular access is rare and develops slowly. We report the case of an 18-year-old man who had developed iatrogenic brachial AVF. He had a history of several venipunctures in the left arm at the age of 10 months. Doppler ultrasonography and computed tomographic angiography were used to establish a diagnosis of brachial AVF, and surgical correction of the AVF was performed. As our case indicates, delayed surgery can be considered as a treatment option and may be associated with a decreased risk of vascular complications in the management of iatrogenic brachial AVF in infants.

Keywords

• arteriovenous fistula
• brachial artery injury
• vascular system injury