Placement of Left Atrial Pressure Use of an Elastic Surgical Suture

Placement of left atrial monitoring catheters during cardiac surgery may be complicated by hemorrhage following the removal of the catheters. The use of an elas- tic surgical suture made of polyurethane can prevent hemorrhage if used around inserted catheters, because the elastic suture automatically shrinks to close the catheter hole on the left atrial wall when the catheter is removed. After open-heart surgery, thin plastic pressure-monitor- ing catheters are inserted into cardiac chambers by direct puncture before the chest is closed. A postoperative con- cern is hemorrhage from the inserted point following catheter removal (1-31. The atrial wall tissue around the catheter is sutured so that removal of the catheter does not produce hemorrhage. Despite meticulous care, how- ever, we have experienced such complications following the removal of the left atrial monitoring tube. There are reports of transseptal placement of left atrial pressure monitoring catheters (4, 51. To eliminate postremoval hemorrhage, we have developed an elastic surgical suture (Wayolax; Matsuda Medical Instrument, Ltd., Hongo, Bunkyoku, Tokyo, Japan).