Pulmonary artery--bronchial fistula: a new complication of Swan-Ganz catheterization

A patient with a Swan-Ganz catheter developed massive hemoptysis. Injection of radiographic contrast media through the catheter revealed rapid filling of the tracheo-bronchial tree, consistent with direct pulmonary artery-bronchial communication. Development of hemoptysis in a patient with a Swan-Ganz catheter should alert the clinician to this possibility.