Intra cardiac foreign bodies are frequent occurrences in clinical cardiology practice. The common ones are intra chamber clots , vegetations and rarely tumors. Some of these masses are very mobile are precariously attached to the cardiac strutures . It becomes a cardiac emergency as a major embolic event is imminent .
While surgery remains the mainstay approach in such situations , now it seems possible to trap these mobile masses with help of catheter and retrieval devices safely.
The only issue is , while retrieving these masses it should not be let into the circulation and result in embolisation . For this we can develop a porous net (Fishing net like ) that can be blown in the distal chamber or Aorta .
Devices can be structured in way that a single catheter can be used with different ports to capture and filter and retrieve the mass . ( vacuum enabled suction catheters can be additional option ) .The whole procedure can be accomplished with fluroscoy and fluroscopic guidance . Intra cardiac echocardiography might also contribute .
This innovation will be a great value addition to the interventional cardiology armamentarium ,would be be appreciated by clinical cardiologists . We in our tertiary teaching hospital have felt the need for a such a device quiet often .Currently many patients land up in surgical tables for the sole purpose of removing these clots and vegetations .Similarly left atrial clots becomes a contraindication for percutaneous mitral commissurotomy(PTMC) . Such capture devices can be very useful.
Dr.S.Venkatesan MD 