AN INFREQUENT COMPLICATION OF SWAN-GANZ CATHETERS

The Swan-Ganz catheter complications are infrequent, the most typical one being cardiac arrhythmias. The breaking and embolization of a cath eter fragment into the pulmonary vascular system are exceptional and, in any case, benign. We present a patient with severe pulmonary hypert ension to the embolization of a Swan-Ganz catheter fragment into the r ight pulmonary artery which disappeared with the movements of the frag ment to the lung periphery.