Perforation of the right ventricle by a pulmonary artery catheter that continues to measure cardiac output and mixed venous saturation.
During urgent cardiopulmonary bypass for acute myocardial infarction, a pulmonary artery (PA) catheter was inserted in an 81-year-old male patient for monitoring of cardiopulmonary function. The presence of the PA catheter in the right pericardium was noted by the cardiothoracic surgeon during surgery. In retrospect, the malposition of the catheter in the pericardium could be clearly seen in the routine intraoperative transesophageal echocardiogram. The presence of a PA pressure waveform and the ability to measure cardiac output and mixed venous oxygen saturation from the PA catheter does not exclude the possibility that it could still be perforating the right ventricle.
Chuang
Kuan-Chih
KC
Department of Anesthesiology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical Center, 833 Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC.
Lan
Albert Kok-Mao
AK
Luk
Hsiang Ning
HN
Wang
Chi-Shien
CS
Huang
Chia-Jung
CJ
Cheng
Kok-Wei
KW
Lin
Kun-Chen
KC
Jawan
Bruno
B
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002302:Cardiac Output; D002407:Catheterization, Swan-Ganz / Q000009:adverse effects*; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000293:injuries*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood*
D010100:Oxygen