Abstract

GARITA JIMENEZ, Elliott; ROBELO PENTZKE, Bayardo; CHAMORRO CASTRO, Rodrigo  and  SALAZAR VARGAS, Carlos. Doble vena cava superior: a propósito de 3 casos. Rev. costarric. cardiol [online]. 2005, vol.7, n.3, pp.25-27. ISSN 1409-4142.

Nowadays is pretty common to need access to the great intrathoracic veins or to the right sided cardiac chambers. Frequently is necessary to measure chamber pressures, to perform right heart catheterizations, and to insert pacemaker electrodes. However it is not uncommon to find anatomical variations of the venous system, that create difficulties when advancing guide wires, electrodes or catherters, or flood the surgical field during the repair of lesions approached via the right atrium. A double superior vena cava is seldomly encountered but the physician has to know how to andel the difficulties imposed by its presencie. The cases of 3 patients with this anomaly are herein presented. Its implications are discussed.