A Free-Floating Right Atrial Thrombus: Playing a Squash Match with Badminton Equipment. An Old Problem Managed by a New Technique.

Journal of Clinical and Basic Cardiology 2002; 5 (1): 115-117

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Keywords: atrialer Filter,  Extraktion,  Fragmentierung,  intraatrialer Thrombus,  Thrombolyse,  atrial filter,  extraction,  fragmentation,  intra-atrial thrombus,  thrombolysis

A large, unattached right atrial thrombus was accidentally detected in a 29 year old man with pneumonia and history of surgically corrected congenital heart disease. As surgery was not feasible, improvised management is described consisting of a combination of catheter-based extraction and mechanical fragmentation with local thrombolysis requiring temporary right atrial filter insertion. This was accomplished using a newly developed multipurpose wire-mesh basket resembling a badminton shuttle-cock. The above procedure was successful: the thrombus problem was solved within 24 hours. The procedure was steered by echocardiography and fluoroscopy.