Damage to Pulmonary Artery Catheter in Cardiac Surgery Causing Inadequate Pulmonary Artery Pressure Waveform

Abstract

　Pulmonary artery catheters (PACs) are widely used to monitor cardiac surgical procedures. We experienced a case of accidental PAC damage in surgery that caused inadequate pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) waveform after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). In most clinical cases, we notice that the intraoperative catheter is entrapped or damaged when the catheter is withdrawn after surgery. In our case, the anesthesiologists and the cardiologists observed abnormal change in the PAP waveform after the CPB, which alerted us to the fact that the PAC might be damaged. Consequently, we avoided a catheter -related accident by carefully removing of the PAC.