MANAGEMENT OF CATHETER EMBOLI

Catheter emboli are a significant risk to patient well-being. With a 4 9% complication rate for indwelling catheter emboli, the consensus is that these foreign bodies should be removed. Preferably, the emboli ar e removed by percutaneous extraction; however, if the emboli are in th e heart or central vasculature and percutaneous extraction fails, then thoracotomy with operative removal is necessary. We analyze the liter ature on catheter emboli and present a case showing that extraction of embolized fragments is not always possible.