Pulmonary artery catheter entrapment after mitral valve surgery and the use of transesophageal echocardiography to accurately determine the site of entrapment

The prevalence of pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) entrapment in open-heart surgery is scarce with a prevalence rate of 0.065%. Challenges in managing such cases lie particularly in choosing the modalities (chest roentgenogram, fluoroscopy, and transesophageal echocardiography) to accurately identify the anatomic location and cause of entrapment. In this case, we report a 42-year-old man who underwent mitral valve replacement with PAC entrapment discovered on postoperative day 2 and subsequently underwent retrieval after re-sternotomy. This case also highlights the usefulness of transesophageal echocardiography by the cardiac anesthetist in aiding the surgeons to locate the anatomic location where the catheter was entrapped.