Swan-Ganz – right heart catheterization

Last updated: February 8, 2026Reviewed date: February 8, 2026Reading time: 7 min read
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Right heart catheterization; Catheterization - right heart Swan-Ganz catheterization is the passing of a thin tube (catheter) into the right side of the heart and the arteries leading to the lungs. It is done to monitor the heart's function and blood flow and pressures in and around the heart. This test is most often done on people who are very ill. Swan-Ganz catheterization (also called...

Key Takeaways

  • This article explains How the Test is Performed in simple medical language.
  • This article explains How to Prepare for the Test in simple medical language.
  • This article explains How the Test will Feel in simple medical language.
  • This article explains Why the Test is Performed in simple medical language.
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Definition

Right heart catheterization; Catheterization – right heart

Swan-Ganz catheterization is the passing of a thin tube (catheter) into the right side of the heart and the leading to the lungs. It is done to monitor the heart’s function and blood flow and pressures in and around the heart. This test is most often done on people who are very ill.

Swan-Ganz catheterization (also called right heart catheterization or catheterization) is the passing of a thin tube (catheter) into the right side of the heart and the arteries leading to the lungs. It is done to monitor the heart’s function and blood flow and pressures in and around the heart.

How the Test is Performed

The test can be done while you are in bed in an intensive care unit (ICU) of a hospital. It can also be done in special procedure areas such as a cardiac catheterization laboratory.

Before the test starts, you may be given medicine (sedative) to help you relax.

You will lie on a padded table. Your doctor will make a small surgical cut near the or in your neck. A flexible tube (catheter or sheath) is placed through the cut into a . Sometimes, it will be placed in your leg or your arm. You will be awake during the procedure.

A longer catheter is inserted. It is then carefully moved into the upper chamber of the right side of the heart. images may be used to help the health care provider see where the catheter should be placed.

Blood may be removed from the catheter. This blood is tested to measure the amount of oxygen in the blood.

During the procedure, your heart’s rhythm will be constantly watched using an electrocardiogram ().

How to Prepare for the Test

You should not eat or drink anything for 8 hours before the test starts. You may need to stay in the hospital the night before the test. Otherwise, you will check in to the hospital the morning of the test.

You will wear a hospital gown. You must sign a consent form before the test. Your provider will explain the procedure and its risks.

How the Test will Feel

You may be given medicine to help you relax before the procedure. You will be awake and able to follow instructions during the test.

You may feel some discomfort when the IV is placed into your arm. You may also feel some pressure at the site when the catheter is inserted. In people who are , the catheter may stay in place for several days.

You may feel discomfort when the area of the vein is numbed with anesthetic.

Why the Test is Performed

The procedure is done to evaluate how the blood moves (circulates) in people who have:

  • Abnormal pressures in the heart arteries
  • Burns
  • disease
  • Leaky heart valves
  • Lung problems

It may also be done to monitor for complications of a  . It also shows how well certain heart medicines are working.

Swan-Ganz catheterization can also be used to detect abnormal blood flow between two areas of the heart that are not normally connected.

Conditions that can also be diagnosed or evaluated with Swan-Ganz catheterization include:

  • Cardiac tamponade
  • Restrictive

Normal Results

Normal results for this test are:

  • Cardiac index is 2.8 to 4.2 liters per minute per square meter (of body surface area)
  • Pulmonary systolic pressure is 17 to 32 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg)
  • Pulmonary artery mean pressure is 9 to 19 mm Hg
  • Pulmonary diastolic pressure is 4 to 13 mm Hg
  • Pulmonary wedge pressure is 4 to 12 mm Hg
  • Right atrial pressure is 0 to 7 mm Hg

What Abnormal Results Mean

Abnormal results may be due to:

  • Blood flow problems, such as heart failure or shock
  • disease
  • Lung disease
  • Structural problems with the heart, such as a shunt from an atrial or ventricular septal defect

Risks

Risks of the procedure include:

  • around the area where the catheter was inserted
  • Injury to the vein
  • Puncture to the lung if the neck or chest are used, causing lung collapse (  )

Very rare complications include:

  • Cardiac arrhythmias requiring treatment
  • Cardiac tamponade
  • is caused by blood clots at the tip of the catheter
  • Low blood pressure

FAQ

What is the Swan-Ganz catheter used for?

  • Swan-Ganz catheterization (also called right heart catheterization or pulmonary artery catheterization) is the passing of a thin tube (catheter) into the right side of the heart and the arteries leading to the lungs. It is done to monitor the heart’s function and blood flow and pressures in and around the heart.

What are three indications for placement of a Swan-Ganz catheter?

Why is Swan-Ganz catheterization performed?

  • heart failure.
  • heart function following a heart attack.
  • shock.
  • pulmonary , or fluid in the lungs.
  • heart disease.
  • postsurgery of people who’ve had open-heart surgery.
  • , such as leaky heart valves.
  • cardiomyopathy.

What can a Swan-Ganz measure and how is it used in the and treatment of an ?

  • The Swan-Ganz procedure can measure the pressure of the blood flow through the right side of the heart (right atrium and right ventricle) as well as pressures in the pulmonary artery and the filling pressure or wedge pressure of the left atrium.

Who needs a Swan-Ganz?

  • A procedure called a Swan-Ganz catheterization, named after the two inventors who developed it, is used to evaluate patients who have had a heart attack or heart failure, fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema), leaky heart values, shock and other heart conditions, including preparation for heart transplantation.

Are Swan-Ganz catheters used anymore?

  • Prospective randomized clinical trials have demonstrated that the routine use of Swan-Ganz catheters does not provide any benefit. However, the use of the Swan-Ganz catheter is still indicated in many situations.

Is a Swan-Ganz a pulmonary artery catheter?

  • Swan-Ganz pulmonary artery catheters offer continuous parameters on three major integrated elements – flow, pressure, and oxygen delivery and consumption – for a comprehensive hemodynamic profile when used with a compatible cardiac output monitor.

What pressure does a Swan-Ganz catheter measure?

  • A Swan-Ganz catheter or right heart catheter is a quadruple-lumen catheter with a thermodilution sensor that is attached to a pressure transducer outside the body, with this transducer, is possible to determine the central vein pressure, right atrial pressure, right ventricular pressure, and pulmonary artery pressure

How do you manage a Swan-Ganz?

  • Removal of a Swan Ganz Catheter
  • Position the patient flat and ask them to inspire deeply and hold their breath during removal. Hold the introducer (Cordis) securely and pull the Swan catheter out with one smooth movement. If any resistance is felt, stop and notify the physician immediately.

When do you remove the Swan Ganz catheter?

  • Removal should be performed in a location where a Cardiac Arrest Cart is available in case of persistent arrhythmia (rare, most arrhythmias resolve once the catheter is out).

How does a Swan-Ganz measure cardiac output?

  • Thermodilution cardiac output
  • The thermodilution method involves injecting saline through the proximal port of a Swan-Ganz catheter, with measurement of the area under the curve of temperature change over time in the distal catheter tip.

How is Swan-Ganz placement measured?

  • Document the length of a catheter inserted, measured from the point where the catheter first becomes visible at the sleeve. Thin lines represent 10 cm lengths; a thick line is a 50 cm marker. The balloon port should be left in the UNLOCKED position with the syringe empty and attached to the port.

What is a Swan-Ganz catheter Quizlet?

  • The balloon of the Swan-Ganz/PA catheter. Used to float the Swan-Ganz/PA catheter into the right side of the heart and to measure pulmonary artery wedge pressure. Transducer. Converts the pressure wave into an electronic signal. Reflect preload of the right ventricle

Are Swan-Ganz catheters MRI safe?

  • Swan-Ganz catheters containing temperature sensors and electrodes are considered MR Unsafe. Other Edwards pulmonary artery catheters, including those without including those used exclusively for oximetry or pressure measurements, are MR Safe (provided the external cables and monitors are removed).

Who invented the Swan-Ganz catheter?

  • Jeremy Swan and William Ganz developed their eponymous pulmonary artery (PA) catheter in the 1970s and, in the process, revolutionized the measurement of cardiac output, pressures within the left side of the heart, and resistance in systemic and pulmonary circulations.

Where is a Swan-Ganz catheter placed?

  • Swan-Ganz catheterization (also called right heart catheterization or pulmonary artery catheterization) is the passing of a thin tube (catheter) into the right side of the heart and the arteries leading to the lungs. It is done to monitor the heart’s function and blood flow and pressures in and around the heart.

How many lumens does a Swan-Ganz have?

  • The VIP™ model is the standard Swan Ganz™ model in CCTC. It is a 7.5 French catheter with 5 lumens.

When was Swan-Ganz invented?

  • The Swan-Ganz balloon flotation catheter was introduced in 1970. It can be placed at the bedside within a few minutes even in critically ill patients.
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Questions to ask
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Care roadmap for: Swan-Ganz – right heart catheterization

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  2. Step 2

    Record the symptom story

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  3. Step 3

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  4. Step 4

    Do only useful tests

    Do tests after clinical assessment. Avoid unnecessary tests, random antibiotics, or repeated medicines without diagnosis.

  5. Step 5

    Follow up and return early if worse

    If symptoms worsen, new warning signs appear, or treatment is not helping, return for review quickly.

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This roadmap is for education. A real diagnosis and treatment plan requires history, examination, and clinical judgment.