Percutaneous Retrieval of an Embolized Catheter Tip With the Balloon Dilatation Technique

Increasing numbers of complex percutaneous coronary interventions have been accompanied by various intra-procedural complications. The fracture and embolization of devices or their fragments are potentially life-threatening situations, depending on the site of embolization. Different non-surgical methods to handle embolic complications have been proposed for different clinical situations. We present a case of a distally embolized catheter fragment that was percutaneously retrieved. The catheter fragment was tightly held by the inflated balloon, moved together with the system, and successfully retrieved out of the circulation via the femoral sheath. Considerable distal embolization of the foreign body and retrieval with the balloon dilatation technique are the unique features of this case. The present case appears to offer a safe and relatively simple method of balloon dilatation inside the lumen of the embolized fragment when the foreign body is too distal to retrieve with conventional snare systems.