Misadventures of a Pigtail: Case Report of Accidental Insertion of a Chest Tube Into the Left Atrium During Interventional Radiology-Guided Placement.

Chest tube thoracostomy is a commonly performed procedure in the emergency department, operating room, and intensive care unit. We report an extremely rare case of accidental insertion of a chest tube into the left atrium via the right pulmonary vein during an interventional radiology-guided placement of the catheter. To our knowledge, such a case has not been reported to date. The anesthetic and surgical management of this injury are discussed.