Nonsurgical removal of a catheter embolus from the heart of a foal.

The study discusses a non-surgical procedure used to remove a catheter embolus from a foal’s heart. Using a unique type of catheter under the guidance of fluoroscopy, the foreign body was successfully removed without being invasive.

Study Description and Procedure

• In this study, a non-surgical procedure was performed on a 14-day old Thoroughbred foal to remove a catheter embolus – a fragment of a catheter that had lodged in the heart – a situation that can create a blockage in the blood flow, leading to potential complications.
• The procedure performed is known as a percutaneous, transvenous removal which essentially means it’s a non-surgical procedure that involves puncturing the skin and proceeding through a vein. In this case, the blood vessel accessed was the jugular vein.
• A basket retrieval catheter, a device specifically designed to entrap and remove foreign bodies in the cardiovascular system, was used in this procedure.

Use of Fluoroscopic Guidance

• Fluoroscopy, an imaging technique that uses X-rays to obtain real-time moving images of the interior of an object, was used to guide the procedure. This increases accuracy and safety, minimising potential damage to surrounding tissues and ensuring the catheter embolus is effectively located and removed.
• The catheter was manipulated under this guidance to successfully retrieve the fragment from the right side of the foal’s heart.

Potential Implications and Suggestions

• The authors suggest that percutaneous retrieval, due to its non-invasive nature, can be a viable alternative to a thoracotomy (a surgical procedure involving an incision into the chest) when retrieving intracardiac or intravascular foreign bodies. This potentially reduces the risk and recovery time for the patient.
• This research opens up the potential for safer and less invasive strategies in veterinary medicine for treating similar cases, effectively removing the foreign body without the need for surgery.