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Swan Ganz catheterization

Swan Ganz catheterization

Overview

Right heart catheterization involves the passage of a catheter (a thin flexible tube) into the right side of the heart to obtain diagnostic information about the heart and for continuous monitoring of heart function in critically ill patients.

Review Date 10/5/2022

Updated by: Thomas S. Metkus, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.