[Entrapment of a Swan-Ganz catheter within the right pulmonary artery ligature during right pneumonectomy].

Entrapment of a pulmonary artery catheter in the pulmonary artery is a rare and severe complication that may lead to fatal complications such as pulmonary artery injury. We describe entrapment of a Swan-Ganz catheter within the right pulmonary artery ligature in a patient undergoing right pneumonectomy. This situation resulted with removal of catheter safely without any complication. We concluded that with early recognition of the complication during thoracotomy, is golden standard in preventing pulmonary artery catheter entrapment and surgeons should be aware of the risk of accidentally transfixing pulmonary artery catheter in every type of operation that takes place in thorax.