Use of Adenosine to Release an Entrapped Catheter During Ablation of Premature Ventricular Complexes

Eun-Jeong Kim1, Edward P Gerstenfeld1, Cara N Pellegrini1,2

  • 1Section of Cardiac Electrophysiology, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.

JACC. Case Reports
|July 28, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Catheter entrapment during ablation is rare but serious. Adenosine can safely free the catheter by prolonging diastole, preventing surgery and reducing patient harm.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Interventional Cardiology

Background:

  • Catheter entrapment is an infrequent yet significant complication during cardiac catheter ablation procedures.
  • Such entrapment can necessitate invasive surgical intervention, increasing patient morbidity.

Observation:

  • During catheter ablation, instances of catheter entrapment were observed.
  • The study explored potential non-surgical methods to address this complication.

Findings:

  • Administering adenosine to prolong diastole was found to be a safe and effective method for dislodging entrapped catheters.
  • This pharmacological approach successfully freed the catheter without surgical intervention.

Implications:

  • Adenosine administration offers a viable alternative to surgery for managing catheter entrapment during ablation.
  • This strategy can potentially reduce procedural risks, recovery time, and healthcare costs associated with surgical intervention.

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