Background: Complex atrial tachycardia (AT) is commonly observed in patients with cardiac surgery. High-density mapping is widely adopted for catheter ablation of complex AT in patients with cardiac surgery. Several case reports have described that PentaRay mapping catheter can be trapped in the mechanical valve and sheared off and successful retrieval of the spline by a snare system. We described a rare case in which PentaRay mapping catheter spline was successfully retrieved from the distal anterior tibial artery by direct syringe suction via the diagnostic catheter following entrapment in the mechanical mitral valve (MV) and rupture of the spline.
Case summary: A 70-year-old female with mechanical bileaflet MV underwent catheter ablation for AT. During mapping in left atrium, the catheter was entrapped in mechanical MV and sheared off. We attempted to release the entrapped the spline by advancing the ablation catheter towards the stuck disc and pushing on the hinge portion of the disc with the catheter tip. The stuck and closed disc was opened, and the deeply entrapped spline was released. However, the entrapped PentaRay spline floated through the Valsalva sinus and strayed into the distal left anterior tibial artery. Fortunately, we successfully retrieved the spline from the distal anterior tibial artery by direct syringe suction instead of a snare system.
Discussion: The possibility of the entrapment and subsequent rupture of the spline should always be considered during mapping the site close to mechanical valve. A rapid retrieval of embolized material should be carried out. If the spline strays into the distal and small artery in which the snare system is difficult to advance, a direct syringe suction via the diagnostic catheter may be attempted.
Keywords: Atrial tachycardia; Case report; High-density mapping; Mechanical valve; PentaRay catheter.
© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.