Removal of a pulmonary artery foreign body during pulse ablation in a patient with atrial fibrillation: A case report

BACKGROUND: Foreign bodies in the pulmonary circulation have been documented in the literature and are typically caused by interventional procedures. However, reports of pulmonary artery foreign bodies during femoral vein puncture are rare, and there is no description of this complication from the guidewire surface flows into the pulmonary artery during a pulse ablation in a patient with atrial fibrillation. CASE SUMMARY: We described a case in which a linear foreign body suddenly appeared on fluoroscopy image during pulsed ablation of atrial fibrillation. Multiposition angiography showed that the foreign body was currently lodged in the pulmonary artery but was hemodynamically stable. We then chose to use an interventional approach to remove the foreign body from the pulmonary artery. This foreign body was subsequently confirmed to be from the hydrophilic coating of the guidewire surface. This may be related to the difficulties encountered during the puncture of the femoral vein. This is a rare and serious complication of femoral vein puncture. Therefore, we reported this case in order to avoid a similar situation. CONCLUSION: Mismatches between interventional devices from different manufacturers used for femoral venipuncture may result in pulmonary artery foreign bodies.