title: Misplaced caval filter and subsequent pericardial tamponade.
abstract: Use of the Greenfield filter for partial caval interruption is generally accepted as the most reliable mechanical method of pulmonary embolus prophylaxis. However, there have been reports of a variety of (usually nonfatal) complications. We report here the near-fatal complication of acute pericardial tamponade after misplacement of a Greenfield filter. Because of the filter's unusual location, retrieval required cardiopulmonary bypass, profound hyperthermia, and circulatory arrest.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, New England Deaconess Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Lahey
authors.forename: L P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: A W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Karchmer
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cronin
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Czorniak
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Maggs
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Nesto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002305:Cardiac Tamponade / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D002315:Cardiopulmonary Bypass; D004452:Echocardiography; D004868:Equipment Failure; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000150:complications* / Q000601:surgery; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000601:surgery; D006503:Hepatic Veins; D006801:Humans; D007036:Hypothermia, Induced; D008297:Male; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000601:surgery; D016306:Vena Cava Filters