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Another name for the Swan Ganz catheter is the pulmonary artery catheter, or the right heart catheter. The Swan Ganz catheter is used to detect and diagnosis heart failure or sepsis. It is also used to evaluate and monitor on-going heart conditions and therapies. The catheter measures the pressure in the pulmonary artery, the right ventricle and the right atrium. It also is used to measure the filling pressure of the left atrium.
The Swan Ganz catheter is named for it's inventors, Jeremy Swan and William Ganz. Both men were from the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center at the time. Jeremy Swan credits the idea for the sail tip of the catheter, used for stability and control, to his time spent watching the sail boats of Santa Monica harbor one calm day. He noticed that boats that had traditional slot sails were dead in the water, while one that had a spinnaker was able to make some progress across the bay.
Ganz contributed the thermistor, which changes it's resistance based on the temperatures it encounters, to the design of the catheter. Between the two of them, they created a catheter that has proven to be very useful in the world of cardiology.

Urinary catheters come in many different brands; however, there are three different catheters for male and female patients. Catheters are inserted, using a sterile technique to decrease introduction of harmful bacteria into the urethra that can lead to a urinary tract infection.

Self-adhering catheter/Texas catheter/condom catheter:
This catheter is used by the male patient. It is applied over the penis; much like a condom would be used. The tubing is already attached to the sleeve over the penis. This tubing in turn is connected to a leg bag and cannot be detected under clothing. When the person is ready for bed, the tubing can be reattached to a larger bedside drainage bag for night-time use.

Intermittent catheter or straight catheter
This catheter does not have tubing and is not attached to a bag. It is inserted into a male or female urethra in order to drain the urine from the bladder, then it is removed and disposed of.

Foley catheters are inserted into the bladder for short or long term and are changed at specific intervals, usually monthly. The catheter is attached to long tubing that is connected to a drainage bag/bedside, at night or to a leg bag during the day.

Policy used to be that, catheters especially for home use could be used repeatedly. This is an unsafe practice and should not be done, due to UTI risks.

Proper care and maintenance of a temporary dialysis catheter is crucial to prevent infection, and other complications, and to ensure proper function. Only trained dialysis staff should be allowed to care for dialysis catheters. If applicable, patients should be taught proper hygiene to help prevent infection.

A temporary dialysis catheter will be placed in one of two locations: the femoral vein, or the internal jugular vein. The ports of the catheter must be flushed with Heparin or Citrate to keep them patent, and caps should be firmly in place. The patient should be encouraged to not allow any pulling or tugging to occur.

A dialysis catheter should always have an intact dressing. The dressing should be changed at least every seven days, with each treatment, when damp or soiled, if loose, or if there is a problem at the site that requires close inspection. Before applying a new dressing, the skin should be disinfected using either chlorhexidine, or povidone iodine solution. Povidone iodine ointment or mupirocin ointment should be placed at the catheter exit site, and then a dry gauze dressing should be secured firmly.

Patients should be cautioned to monitor for signs and symptoms of infection, any bleeding from the site, or any swelling.

With effective care and maintenance, infection and other complications can be avoided, and a dialysis catheter will work optimally for the life of the product.

The pulmonary artery catheter is used when a doctor is trying to make a diagnosis. Doctors use the catheter to monitor therapy, watch the effects of some drugs, detect heart failure and sepsis. The pulmonary artery catheter works by allowing direct and simultaneous measurements of pressure. The pressure that is measured is in the right atrium, right ventricle and the pulmonary artery. It also measures the filling pressure of the left atrium. The pressure in the left atrium is also known as the wedge pressure.

The pulmonary artery catheter is also known by the name Swan-Ganz catheter. This diagnostic tool is used mostly in the intensive care unit so that close monitoring is possible. The catheter has a balloon on the tip that is inflated to hold it in place. The pulmonary artery catheter is usually placed through the internal jugular, subclavian or the femoral veins.

Use of the pulmonary artery catheter has some very serious possible complications. The most common complication is heart arrhythmia. There is also a chance of infection as well as blood clots, bleeding, pneumothorax, and rupture of the pulmonary artery. Some doctors believe that the risks of using this type of catheter are much higher than the benefits of using it. Because of this doctors try not to use the pulmonary artery catheter as much as it had been used before. Before allowing this procedure to be done you should weigh all your options so you can make sure it is something you need.

Paula Bowen

Central catheters date back to the 1920’s when physician Forssmann mentioned placing a tube by his heart by puncturing his own arm. In the 1950’s, Aubaniac truly introduced the importance of the central catheter with a procedure he performed by placing the catheter in the subclavian vein. Since Forssmann inserted the tube into his own arm and Aubaniac placed the catheter in the subclavian vein central catheters have been known worldwide for the miracles they can assist physicians in achieving with their patients health.

A central catheter is known most commonly as a central line, central venous catheter or central venous line. Central catheters can be placed in many areas of the body including the neck, groin and chest.

The central catheter when placed in a patient has several uses. For many patients a central catheter assists in providing the pressures of the artery, veins and capillaries to be read by a medical professional.

Medical professionals choose to insert central catheters as a way to allow injections to be done without a high risk of complications. The use of the catheter varies by individual patient; some use the monitor to or sometimes to distribute injections of medicine for a period of time. The central catheter has also been used to draw blood for a variety of tests patients may need.

Another name for the Swan Ganz catheter is the pulmonary artery catheter, or the right heart catheter. The Swan Ganz catheter is used to detect and diagnosis heart failure or sepsis. It is also used to evaluate and monitor on-going heart conditions and therapies. The catheter measures the pressure in the pulmonary artery, the right ventricle and the right atrium. It also is used to measure the filling pressure of the left atrium.
The Swan Ganz catheter is named for it's inventors, Jeremy Swan and William Ganz. Both men were from the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center at the time. Jeremy Swan credits the idea for the sail tip of the catheter, used for stability and control, to his time spent watching the sail boats of Santa Monica harbor one calm day. He noticed that boats that had traditional slot sails were dead in the water, while one that had a spinnaker was able to make some progress across the bay.
Ganz contributed the thermistor, which changes it's resistance based on the temperatures it encounters, to the design of the catheter. Between the two of them, they created a catheter that has proven to be very useful in the world of cardiology.

The pulmonary artery catheter is used when a doctor is trying to make a diagnosis. Doctors use the catheter to monitor therapy, watch the effects of some drugs, detect heart failure and sepsis. The pulmonary artery catheter works by allowing direct and simultaneous measurements of pressure. The pressure that is measured is in the right atrium, right ventricle and the pulmonary artery. It also measures the filling pressure of the left atrium. The pressure in the left atrium is also known as the wedge pressure.

The pulmonary artery catheter is also known by the name Swan-Ganz catheter. This diagnostic tool is used mostly in the intensive care unit so that close monitoring is possible. The catheter has a balloon on the tip that is inflated to hold it in place. The pulmonary artery catheter is usually placed through the internal jugular, subclavian or the femoral veins.

Use of the pulmonary artery catheter has some very serious possible complications. The most common complication is heart arrhythmia. There is also a chance of infection as well as blood clots, bleeding, pneumothorax, and rupture of the pulmonary artery. Some doctors believe that the risks of using this type of catheter are much higher than the benefits of using it. Because of this doctors try not to use the pulmonary artery catheter as much as it had been used before. Before allowing this procedure to be done you should weigh all your options so you can make sure it is something you need.

Paula Bowen

Central catheters date back to the 1920’s when physician Forssmann mentioned placing a tube by his heart by puncturing his own arm. In the 1950’s, Aubaniac truly introduced the importance of the central catheter with a procedure he performed by placing the catheter in the subclavian vein. Since Forssmann inserted the tube into his own arm and Aubaniac placed the catheter in the subclavian vein central catheters have been known worldwide for the miracles they can assist physicians in achieving with their patients health.

A central catheter is known most commonly as a central line, central venous catheter or central venous line. Central catheters can be placed in many areas of the body including the neck, groin and chest.

The central catheter when placed in a patient has several uses. For many patients a central catheter assists in providing the pressures of the artery, veins and capillaries to be read by a medical professional.

Medical professionals choose to insert central catheters as a way to allow injections to be done without a high risk of complications. The use of the catheter varies by individual patient; some use the monitor to or sometimes to distribute injections of medicine for a period of time. The central catheter has also been used to draw blood for a variety of tests patients may need.

To dialysis patients, the dialysis catheter is the most important part of their treatment. The catheter is the link between the patient and the dialysis machine. It is the portal that transports the blood from the patient to the machine to get cleaned and then put back in the body.

Without the dialysis catheter, the patient would not be able to receive treatment, with the kidneys failing completely in a short amount of time. Most catheters are of a 15 or 16 gauge, with some being a 17 gauge. The catheter is placed in the patient near the neck in most cases. It is not removed until a kidney transplant is done, or the patient ends dialysis.

After the dialysis catheter is placed, there is little to no pain involved with the dialysis procedure. The only complications that the patient has to worry about is kinking of the catheter or clogging of the catheter. If the catheter becomes clogged, it can be cleaned by a nurse. Catheters are placed about 3 to 4 centimeters below the skin so there is easy access to the portal when the patient goes for a dialysis treatment. If the neck cannot be accessed for catheter placement, the groin is sometimes used.

When families are first told that their child will be dependent on a catheter for the rest of their lives, they wonder how difficult it will be for the child to learn the proper technique. Some families start Catheter Play in the privacy of their own homes with their child, as early as four years old to help the child adjust to where to put it and how it should feel if it is in the right place. Catheter Play can be done for as little or as long as it takes, until the child is comfortable with doing it on his or her own.

Some children learn this technique faster than others and some are comfortable with doing it for themselves faster than others. There is no specific age that a child needs to be or should be doing this on their own, but the earlier they do, the more independent they will feel. This is also a great thing to learn early so that when a child is invited to a birthday party or a sleepover with friends, they will gladly accept the invitation, knowing that they can do their own Catheter wherever the party is being held.