Abstract

Hypokalaemia is a common occurrence in ICU around 40% of the patients were found to have Hypokalaemia between day 1 and day 4 of admission1 , Though central venous catheter insertion is a common procedure with insertion rates in ICU (49%) or theatres (42%)2 , is associated with complications which include premature atrial and ventricular contractions(pneumo/hemothorax, vessel/nerve injuries)the incidence of life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias is less than 1%3 We report a patient with severe hypokalaemia with quadriparesis who developed pulseless ventricular tachycardia while inserting central venous catheter through the right subclavian vein by landmark technique. Patient was successfully resuscitated as per the ACLS July 2020 guidelines. this case report reminds the clinician to be careful during central venous catheter insertion in critically ill ICU patients with adequate resuscitation equipment and a code blue team on standby to prevent catastrophe in what seems to be a benign day-to-day procedure.

Description

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