Percutaneous technique for the reduction of knotted coronary catheters

During coronary angiography knotting of a coronary catheter is a recognised complication. It commonly results through excessive manipulation of a catheter in an attempt to engage the right coronary artery. Although simple manoeuvres of the catheter can often result in resolution of a kink, tighter knots may not be amenable to such measures. There is, however, little published material regarding its best management. We present five cases of cardiac catheterisation complicated by catheter knotting and present a novel percutaneous technique for their reduction.