Percutaneous retrieval of intravascular and intracardiac foreign bodies with a dedicated three‐dimensional snare: A 3‐year single center experience

Abstract

The presence of symptomatic or asymptomatic intravascular/intracardiac foreign body (FB) is under-reported in the literature, but it is more commonly encountered in clinical practice. The implantation of long-term venous catheters and the number of technical challenging endovascular procedures are both constantly increasing. Thus, the number of reported FBs will also increase, becoming a serious concern, especially once associated with a cardiovascular complication. We report the analysis of 22 patients in whom an intravascular/cardiac FBs retrieval was attempted. The details of the procedure have been discussed in depth emphasizing the technical aspects of the utilized dedicated three-dimensional snare device (Entrio snare). The technical feasibility, safety, and efficacy of the retrieval procedure were then analyzed. We divided our patients into two groups. Group 1 included 12 patients in whom the FB had already migrated in the right heart or in the pulmonary circulation. Group 2 included 10 patients with an intravascular FB (intravenous or intraarterial). Technical retrieval success rate was 95.5% (21/22), with a 35-min procedural mean time and no in-hospital procedural-related complications. Our data confirm that different kinds of FBs lodging in different sites of the cardiovascular system can safely and efficaciously be percutaneously retrieved by utilizing a dedicated three-dimensional snare device. This, therefore, suggests that this minimally invasive intervention should be rapidly attempted, thus anticipating several serious complications.