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Case Reports
. 2025 Sep 1;25(1):441.
doi: 10.1186/s12871-025-03317-2.

"I had a knot in my heart": unusual complication after implantation of a Swan-Ganz catheter

Zulfugar T Taghiyev  1 , Andreas Böning  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

"I had a knot in my heart": unusual complication after implantation of a Swan-Ganz catheter

Zulfugar T Taghiyev et al. BMC Anesthesiol. .

Abstract

Background: The implantation of a Swan-Ganz catheter for invasive hemodynamic monitoring is an established measure after cardiac surgery. A rare but serious complication is the formation of a knot in the heart, which can be diagnostically challenging. We report on a patient who developed left heart failure postoperatively after quadruple bypass surgery combined with aortic valve replacement and in whom a knot formed inadvertently during monitoring using a Swan-Ganz catheter.

Case presentation: An 82-year-old female underwent combined quadruple coronary artery bypass grafting and aortic valve replacement for severe coronary and valvular heart disease. Postoperatively, she experienced acute left ventricular dysfunction, necessitating mechanical circulatory support with an Impella device. A Swan-Ganz catheter was placed through the internal jugular vein for accurate hemodynamic monitoring. After placement, unexpected catheter immobility raised suspicion of an intracardiac knot. Initial transthoracic echocardiography did not clearly visualize the lesion; however, subsequent chest radiography and jugular vein ultrasound confirmed catheter-associated intracardiac knot formation. Considering the heightened risk for cardiac injury and thromboembolic events, interdisciplinary consensus recommended bedside surgical extraction. The catheter and associated knot were successfully removed via transcutaneous vascular incision without complications. Inspection revealed knot formation proximal to the catheter thermistor, while the balloon remained intact and functional.

Conclusion: Intracardiac knot formation associated with Swan-Ganz catheter placement is rare but presents significant risks. Timely interdisciplinary assessment, multimodal imaging, and surgical extraction under controlled conditions effectively mitigate potential complications, enabling safe catheter removal and favorable patient outcomes.

Keywords: Complication; Knot; Pulmonary artery catheter; Swan-Ganz catheter.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent for publication: Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this case report and any accompanying images. Copy of the written consent forms are available for review. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Chest X-ray
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Ultrasound examination of the jugular vein
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Detailed examination of the extracted Swan-Ganz catheter
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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