Percutaneous removal of a fractured right heart catheter from the apex of the right ventricle.
A 58-year-old woman underwent right and left heart catheterization for suspected ischaemic heart disease with ventricular tachycardia. During the procedure a Bourassa catheter fractured and lodged at the right ventricular apex. Under general anaesthesia and radiographic screening the fragment was removed using a bronchoscopy biopsy forceps via the jugular vein after other methods had failed. This case highlights the need for familiarity with several techniques for the removal of such fragments.
D006328:Cardiac Catheterization / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005547:Foreign Bodies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009206:Myocardium