title: Postoperative life-threatening recurrent ventricular arrhythmia triggered by the swan-ganz catheter in a patient undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery.
abstract: Recurrent ventricular arrhythmia can be fatal and cause serious complications, particularly when it is caused immediately after an operation. Incorrect placement of a Swan-Ganz catheter can trigger life-threatening ventricular arrhythmia, but even intensive care specialists tend to miss this fact. Here, we report a case of recurrent ventricular arrhythmia causing a severe hemodynamic compromise; the arrhythmia was induced by a severely angulated Swan-Ganz catheter. The recurrent ventricular arrhythmia was not controlled by any measures including repositioning of the catheter, until the complete removal of the Swan-Ganz catheter. It is necessary to keep in mind that the position of the pulmonary artery catheter should be promptly checked if there is intractable recurrent ventricular arrhythmia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center.
authors.forename: Jooncheol
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Min
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center.
authors.forename: Jae-Sung
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center.
authors.forename: Se Jin
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center.
authors.forename: Yong Won
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Seong
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center.
authors.forename: Hyun Jong
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center.
authors.forename: Jeong Sang
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Lee
keywords: Arrhythmia; Swan-Ganz catheter