title: Inadvertant atrial fixation of a Swan-Ganz catheter by suture and a method for its percutaneous removal.
abstract: A patient with type I dissection of the thoracic aorta inadvertently had a Swan-Ganz catheter sutured to the right atrium during surgical repair of the dissection. A method for its removal using percutaneous passage of a No. 15 scalpel blade is described. The hazards of Swan-Ganz catheters are explored, and the changing roles of nonsurgical interventional procedures are discussed.
mesh_terms: D006328:Cardiac Catheterization / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007431:Intraoperative Complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013537:Sutures