Bilateral vocal cord paralysis. A complication of percutaneous cannulation of the internal jugular veins.

A severe complication resulted from internal jugular cannulation. An obese patient had hematomas after bilateral attempts. The first cannulation (on the right) was successful after many tries; the second (on the left) was not. The patient was hoarse after the first attempt; more so and dyspneic after the second. Laryngoscopic examination showed paralysis of the vocal cords. Tracheostomy was done. Two weeks later, the cords were seen to move normally. The tracheostomy was removed, and recovery was uneventful.