Affiliation:
1. Department of Interventional Radiology University of Florida Health – Jacksonville, Florida, United States.
Abstract
Indwelling vascular catheters may be maintained for extended periods of time especially for critically ill or hospitalized patients requiring frequent blood draws. If they become knotted within the vasculature, serious iatrogenic sequelae can result, such as: pneumothorax, atrial arrhythmias, ventricular arrhythmias, pulmonary embolism, pulmonary hemorrhage, intracardiac rupture, pulmonary artery rupture, balloon rupture, bacteremia, and death. Surgical cut-down may be indicated for removal of knots that preclude catheter retrieval and are refractory to intravascular removal modalities. Three such knots were untied using the intraluminal technique described in this report. The technique utilizes balloon angioplasty in conjunction with a wire to safely and effectively untie knotted catheters. Keywords: Vascular catheters, Arrhythmias, Angioplasty balloon.