pneumothorax after central line

[marie2014]

What specifically causes a pneumothorax after central line placement? And is pneumothorax after central line placement a contraindication for using the central line? Thanks in advance for any help.

[AJJKRN]

I would read up on placing a central line and google the kit and then post why you think a pneumo would be a complication of central line placement especially during an emergent situation...

[marie2014]

Just rephrasing...

If a patient gets a central line to their subclavian, and the xray shows it's in the right place, MD says we can use it, etc., but then later there is a questionable pneumothorax developing, can you still use the central line? Or do you have to stop what you have infusing and wait until a follow-up xray or CT is done to confirm or rule out a pneumothorax?

I don't see why there would be a contraindication to use the central line unless when it was inserted, it punctured through the vein into the pleural space, causing the pneumothorax, and then because of that puncture, anything infusing might infiltrate.

[chare]

There are two reasons to obtain a Chest x ray after placing a central line in the subclavian: to confirm proper tip location and document the presence or absence of a pneumothorax.

If the line is properly placed, the presence of a pneumothorax will not affect the patency of the line.

[AJJKRN]

See, answered your own question!