The pigtail catheter is an angiographic flush catheter used in interventional vascular procedures, to achieve high-flow injection rates (15 to 20 ml/s)1 into large vessels, to obtain optimal aortograms, and/or phlebograms.
This article focuses only on angiographic catheters and the pigtail drainage catheter is discussed separately.
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Properties
proximal end: Luer lock hub
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french-Size
4F: inner diameter 0.040" - 0.042"
5F: inner diameter 0.052"
length: 65 cm, 80 cm, 90 cm, 110 cm
recommended guidewire: 0.035 inch for 4F/5F, 0.038″ for some 5F
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side-holes (side ports): generally 10
allow large-volume infusions and prevent vascular injury at the tip of the catheter during power injections
uniform dispersal of contrast media
minimal recoil
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pigtail tip-shape to
help center the shaft in the vessel
avoid engagement and injection into a non-target vessel
Indications
Vascular interventional procedures
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aortic angiography
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superior vena cava phlebogram
it can also be used as a retained-fragment retriever, for recovering fragments of catheters/guidewires.
Pleural drainage
Pigtail drainage catheter for pleural drainage have larger french size (8.3F2 and more) and differ from vascular pigtail catheters, they are used to drain:
pneumothorax
pleural effusions
Precautions
To decrease the risk of vascular injury:
catheters should always be inserted and withdrawn over wires, as the tip of catheters moving within a vessel can cause dissection
always verify the catheter pressure rate limit while using the power injector since surpassing these thresholds can damage both the catheter and the blood vessel
in case of resistance while advancing or withdrawing the catheter, it is important to stop and identify the underlying cause of the resistance before proceeding further
avoid bending or kinking the catheter before its placement, as doing so may damage the catheter and lead to injury for the patient
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