Inadvertent Swan-Ganz catheter placement in the left pericardiophrenic vein.

Placement of flow-directed Swan-Ganz catheters without fluoroscopic guidance occasionally results in placement in positions other than the pulmonary artery. In the case presented, the inadvertent placement of such a catheter into the left pericardiophrenic vein was probably facilitated by distortion of the right heart and systemic venous anatomy.