Transfemoral snaring of broken catheters from the right heart in small infants.

Successful retrieval of embolized central venous catheter fragments from the right heart was accomplished in two small infants weighing 2100 and 4050 Gm respectively. The catheters had been broken off at the site of entry into the vein and migrated to right atrium. A 5F end-hole Cook catheter with 0.018 inch diameter, 125 cm long Curry snaring wire with flexible mid-segment was successfully utilized through the femoral vein percutaneously to remove the foreign body without complication.