Percutaneous retrieval of intravascular and intracardiac foreign bodies with a dedicated three-dimensional snare: a 3-year single center experience.
BACKGROUND
The presence of symptomatic or asymptomatic intravascular/intracardiac foreign body (FB) is under-reported in the literature, but it is more commonly encountered in clinical practice. The implantation of long-term venous catheters and the number of technical challenging endovascular procedures are both constantly increasing. Thus, the number of reported FBs will also increase, becoming a serious concern, especially once associated with a cardiovascular complication.


METHODS
We report the analysis of 22 patients in whom an intravascular/cardiac FBs retrieval was attempted. The details of the procedure have been discussed in depth emphasizing the technical aspects of the utilized dedicated three-dimensional snare device (Entrio snare). The technical feasibility, safety, and efficacy of the retrieval procedure were then analyzed.


RESULTS
We divided our patients into two groups. Group 1 included 12 patients in whom the FB had already migrated in the right heart or in the pulmonary circulation. Group 2 included 10 patients with an intravascular FB (intravenous or intraarterial). Technical retrieval success rate was 95.5% (21/22), with a 35-min procedural mean time and no in-hospital procedural-related complications.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data confirm that different kinds of FBs lodging in different sites of the cardiovascular system can safely and efficaciously be percutaneously retrieved by utilizing a dedicated three-dimensional snare device. This, therefore, suggests that this minimally invasive intervention should be rapidly attempted, thus anticipating several serious complications.
Angiology Division, Heart Center, Bad Krozingen, Germany. robert.bonvini@hcuge.ch
Robert F
RF
Bonvini
Aljoscha
A
Rastan
Sebastian
S
Sixt
Elias
E
Noory
Ulrich
U
Beschorner
Olli
O
Leppanen
François
F
Mach
Uwe
U
Schwarzwälder
Karlheinz
K
Bürgelin
Thomas
T
Zeller
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001808:Blood Vessels; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization / Q000295:instrumentation*; D002406:Catheterization, Peripheral / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D005548:Foreign-Body Migration / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D006321:Heart; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011859:Radiography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome