[Transfemoral extraction of a knotted Swan-Ganz catheter using an F24 dilator].

We report on the successful transfemoral extraction of a Swan-Ganz catheter twice knotted in a patient's heart. The extraction was performed with a Dormia basket and removed via a 24F dilatator which was placed in the femoral vein. The Swan-Ganz catheter had been placed in a 67-year old patient after Whipple's operation. The technical procedure of the catheter removal is described and the advantages are discussed.