Fiber Embolization — A Hazard of Cardiac Surgery and Catheterization

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Abstract
DURING the past 10 years, we have observed that anisotropic intra-arterial fibers, similar to cotton or cellulose libers, are a common incidental finding in pathological specimens, found almost exclusively in post-mortem examination of patients who have undergone cardiac operations or catheterization. This report was prompted by the recent occurrence in two patients of thrombosis and infarction that were associated with these fibers, indicating that the presence of the foreign material is neither artifact nor innocuous.MethodThe minimum incidence and the site of fiber embolization were determined by review of the autopsy records from 1964 to 1973 of all patients . . .