Related Experiment Videos
Late percutaneous extraction of an intracardiac catheter fragment
A Oto1, S L Tokgozoglu, A Oram
1Department of Cardiology, Hacettepe University, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
Japanese Heart Journal
|January 1, 1993
Insights
A forgotten catheter fragment in the heart
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Medical Devices
- Interventional Radiology
Background:
- Long-term indwelling catheters can fracture and embolize.
- Right atrial foreign bodies are rare but pose risks.
Observation:
- An asymptomatic patient was incidentally found to have a mobile catheter fragment in the right atrium via echocardiography.
- The fragment was traced to a catheter inserted 9 years prior, likely broken during removal.
Findings:
- Percutaneous retrieval of the mobile right atrial catheter fragment was successful.
- A loopsnare catheter system facilitated the complication-free removal.
Implications:
- This case highlights the potential for delayed complications from indwelling medical devices.
- Minimally invasive techniques are effective for managing intracardiac foreign bodies.
- Routine follow-up and careful device removal are crucial.
Abstract:
A patient was found to have a mobile catheter fragment in the right atrium incidentally during echocardiography. On further investigation, it was learned that the catheter had been inserted 9 years earlier during surgery and had probably been broken during removal. The patient did not experience any symptoms during this period. The catheter was removed percutaneously without any complications using a system similar to the loopsnare catheter.