Treatment of accidental puncture of the left subclavian artery and ongoing haemorrhage with vascular stenting.

A man in his 60s was admitted for radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) as a treatment for atrial fibrillation. A decapolar catheter (Synaptic Medical, Beijing, China) was inserted into the coronary sinus via the left subclavian vein. Two hours after RFCA, the patient presented new symptoms of cough, mild haemoptysis, mild dyspnoea and mild chest discomfort. Contrast-enhanced CT showed a mediastinal haematoma with contrast medium extravasation at the interlobular fissure outside the parietal pleura and mild-moderate pericardial effusion. Active left subclavian artery bleeding, rather than venous bleeding due to superior vena cava perforation, was finally diagnosed. Ongoing haemorrhage conservative treatment with red cell concentrate and intravenous fluid (normal saline) replacement may lead to compression of the mediastinum, and a covered stent was used to treat this iatrogenic complication.