Use of a Fogarty Embolectomy Catheter to Retrieve a Foreign Body during Redo Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery: Case Report.

Abstract We report the successful use of an embolectomy catheter to retrieve a metal bullet tip of a cardiotomy suction device that was lost during redo coronary artery surgery. The metal tip was lost somewhere in the vicinity of a tear created in the ascending aorta during repeat sternotomy. Initial attempts at retrieval using a Foley catheter were made but were unsuccessful. The foreign body was successfully retrieved by withdrawing an inflated Fogarty balloon embolectomy catheter. The patient went on to have coronary artery bypass grafting and made a sound recovery from the operation.