title: Perforation of the right ventricle by a pulmonary artery catheter that continues to measure cardiac output and mixed venous saturation.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical Center, 833 Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Kuan-Chih
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Chuang
authors.forename: Albert Kok-Mao
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Lan
authors.forename: Hsiang Ning
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Luk
authors.forename: Chi-Shien
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chia-Jung
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Kok-Wei
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Kun-Chen
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jawan
mesh_terms: 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*
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen