A complication in the use of a Fogarty catheter for foreign body removal during bronchoscopic management

The Fogarty catheter, developed originally for the removal of intravascular thrombi, has been used in recent years as an aid in bronchoscopic foreign body removal. Complications with the use of a Fogarty catheter are rare. We report the separation of the tip of a Fogarty catheter from the catheter body during rigid bronchoscopic management with resultant lodging of the catheter tip out of bronchoscopic range in the peripheral lower lobe of the lung. Use of a Fogarty catheter during bronchoscopic intervention is discussed as is the availability of different catheter models and their possible problems.