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Published on: September 22, 2017
Pulmonary Artery Catheter Knotted in the Tricuspid Valve Apparatus Requiring Surgery With Cardiopulmonary Bypass: A
Pablo Perez d'Empaire1, Simone Derzi2, David Latter3
1From the Department of Anesthesia, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Department of Anesthesia, University of Toronto, Canada.
Abstract:
Placement of a pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) is associated with complications such as entrapment or knotting. PAC entrapment in the heart, vena cava, or pulmonary artery is serious, potentially life-threatening, particularly if they are unrecognized. We present a patient with a PAC knot after aortic valve replacement. Interventional radiology (IR) determined that the catheter may have lodged in the tricuspid valve. Surgical exploration requiring cardiopulmonary bypass revealed that the PAC had passed through the tricuspid valve orifice and knotted itself around the anterior leaflet chordal structure. The catheter was unknotted, with the patient subsequently recovering without long-term sequelae.
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