CHSJ

Curr Health Sci J, vol. 52, no. 1, 2026

Hemothorax in Dialysis Patients: The Importance of History and Differential Diagnoses

[Case Report]

M. CABRIO(1), M.C. RIBEIRO SILVA(1), M. VIDOTTO LEITE(1), A. ANTUNES CETLIN(1)


(1)Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil


Abstract:

Long-term double-lumen central venous catheters are commonly used in patients undergoing hemodialysis but may be associated with rare and serious complications, such as injury to large veins, for example the jugular or subclavian vein. We report the case of a 42-year-old man with chronic kidney disease on hemodialysis and a history of treated extrapulmonary tuberculosis who was found to have a massive, asymptomatic, left-sided hemothorax. Differential diagnoses included tuberculosis recurrence, mesothelioma, and iatrogenic vascular injury related to a long-term catheter. This case underscores the importance of careful clinical history and differential diagnosis when evaluating pleural effusion in dialysis patients.


Keywords: Hemothorax, hemodialysis, central venous catheters, pleural effusion, iatrogenic complications.



Corresponding: Marina Cabrio, Ribeirao Preto Medical School, University of Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, Brazil, e-mail: marinacabrio@usp.br


DOI 10.12865/CHSJ.52.01.13 - Download PDF
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