Entrapment of a kinked catheter in the radial artery during transradial coronary angiography.

Abstract

The transradial approach is currently popular for vascular access during percutaneous coronary angiography and intervention. Catheter kinking during catheter manipulation is not uncommon, but mostly the kinked catheter can be unraveled by gentle rotation of catheter in the opposite direction. We describe a case in which the diagnostic catheter was kinked and entrapped in the small radial artery during transradial angiography. Attempts to withdraw or to unravel the catheter with gentle rotation were unsuccessful. We were able to catch the catheter tip with a 6 Fr Amplatz goose-neck snare kit (ev3, Inc.) guided by an 8 Fr guiding catheter via right femoral approach. We pulled the kinked catheter up into the brachial artery with large diameter where successful unraveling was possible, allowing for its successful removal through the radial sheath.