# Fracture and Intravascular Retention of a Radial Arterial Catheter Following Reinsertion of the Introducer Needle: Point‐of‐Care Ultrasonography‐Guided Localization and Surgical Retrieval

## TL;DR

A radial arterial catheter can break during reinsertion, and ultrasound helps locate and safely remove the fragment.

## Contribution

Demonstrates the use of point-of-care ultrasonography for rapid localization and retrieval of fractured catheter fragments.

## Key findings

- Reinsertion of the introducer needle can cause catheter fracture and intravascular retention.
- POCUS effectively localizes the fragment and guides surgical retrieval.
- Bleeding or resistance during manipulation indicates potential fracture and the need for POCUS.

## Abstract

Reinserting an introducer needle into a radial arterial catheter can shear the cannula and leave an intravascular fragment. When bleeding from the shaft or resistance occurs, manipulation should be stopped, fracture should be suspected, and point‐of‐care ultrasonography (POCUS) should be used to localize the fragment and expedite safe surgical retrieval.

Point‐of‐care ultrasonography enabled rapid localization of the fractured intravascular catheter fragment and guided safe surgical retrieval.