title: A knot in the heart.
abstract: Few diagnostic modalities in medicine have been the subject of greater debate for as long after their inception as the pulmonary artery catheter. Placement of a Swan-Ganz catheter is associated with various complications, one of which is knotting. Complications of usage of these catheters are numerous and can have devastating effects. Knotting of Swan-Ganz catheters is a rare complication that can often be managed successfully using interventional radiological techniques. The case reported is a rare case of Swan-Ganz catheter knotting resulting from inserting an excessive length of Swan-Ganz catheter into the heart. Knotting can be prevented by following the principle rule in floating Swan-Ganz catheters by correlating the inserted length of pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) with the expected change in waveform.
authors: Department of Trauma Surgery and Critical Care, Kings County Hospital Center, State University of New York-Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York, USA. hesham.ahmed@downstate.edu
authors: Hesham
authors: H
authors: Ahmed
authors: Daniel
authors: D
authors: Kaufman
authors: Michael E
authors: ME
authors: Zenilman
mesh_terms: D002407:Catheterization, Swan-Ganz / Q000009:adverse effects*; D020878:Device Removal; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011651:Pulmonary Artery; D015641:Radiography, Interventional