Purpose: The placement of continuous peripheral nerve catheters on an ambulatory basis is increasing and is routine at our institution. There are few reports of complications associated with peripheral nerve catheter removal in the literature. Described herein is a case series of five patients where complications related to catheter withdrawal were observed.
Clinical features: A stimulating catheter with a stainless steel coil surrounded by polyurethane (19-G, 60-cm) exhibited shearing when removal proved difficult in five patients. In four cases, catheter removal by the patients was not possible, requiring them to return to hospital for management. No long-term sequelae were observed in any patient.
Conclusions: There can be various causes for difficulty with catheter removal, such as a technical aspect of catheter placement, catheter design, tissue reaction at the catheter site, or a combination thereof. The majority of complications related to outpatient perineural catheters can be handled over the telephone, but our case series may highlight a potential management dilemma in placing continuous stimulating perineural catheters on an ambulatory basis.