What is
pulmonary artery catheterization?
Pulmonary artery catheterization is a procedure performed to
provide information regarding the patient's
blood
circulation, specifically, the pressure and amount of fluid or blood
in the circulation and an assessment of the pumping action of the
heart.
What is a pulmonary artery catheter?
A
pulmonary artery catheter, also called a right heart catheter or
a Swan-Ganz catheter, is a specialized central venous catheter
designed to provide information about the
blood
and heart.
When is pulmonary artery catheterization
used?
ICU
patients frequently have profound disturbances in heart or lung
function secondary to a critical illness, severe trauma, or
high-risk surgery. The doctors and nurses attempt to rapidly restore
the heart and lung function to normal. When initial therapies do not
stabilize a patient, the doctors may use
pulmonary artery catheterization to help guide their therapy.
How is a pulmonary artery catheter used?
The pulmonary
artery
catheter insertion is performed at the patient's bedside in the ICU.
The pulmonary artery catheter is inserted through a specialized
central venous catheter called an introducer sheath. As the
pulmonary artery catheter is inserted, it passes through the
right-side heart chambers (atrium
and ventricle) into the lung blood vessels where it rests.
Occasionally, the doctors need fluoroscopy, which is a special type
of X-ray, to help guide them during the pulmonary artery catheter
insertion. The catheter is connected to the
bedside monitor where the information about the blood and heart
are displayed. Doctors and nurses use information provided by the
catheter monitor to continuously adjust fluids and medications, in
order to optimize the patient's heart and lung function.
Does pulmonary artery catheterization hurt?
The patient feels some discomfort as the
introducer sheath is inserted. No pain is felt, however, when
the actual pulmonary
artery
catheter is inserted.
How long is pulmonary artery
catheterization used?
The
pulmonary artery
catheter remains in place until the information it provides is
no longer necessary to stabilize the patient. Typically, a single
catheter does not remain in the patient for more than four or five
days. If the catheter information is still required after four days,
a new
pulmonary artery catheter is inserted.
Are there any potential complications
associated with pulmonary artery catheterization?
Use of
pulmonary artery
catheterization is associated with potential complications that are
infrequent but include serious heart rhythm disturbance,
blood
clot formation around the catheter,
lung
collapse, and catheter related infections.
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Pulmonary artery catheter (long, yellow, S-shaped
line) inserted into a vein (internal jugular) in the
neck |
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Pulmonary Artery Catheterization 
