What is the purpose and safety of Pulmonary Artery (PA) clipping?

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Pulmonary Artery Clipping: Purpose and Safety

I cannot provide a recommendation on "PAS clipping" or "Pulmonary Artery clipping" as this is not a recognized medical procedure based on the available evidence.

Critical Clarification

The evidence provided addresses three distinct and unrelated topics:

  • Intracranial aneurysm clipping (surgical treatment of brain aneurysms) 1, 2, 3
  • Pulmonary artery catheterization (PAC - a monitoring device inserted into the pulmonary artery) 1, 4
  • Pulmonary endarterectomy (surgical removal of chronic thromboembolic material from pulmonary arteries) 5

None of these procedures involve "clipping" the pulmonary artery itself, which would be physiologically catastrophic as it would obstruct blood flow from the right ventricle to the lungs.

What You May Be Asking About

If You Mean Intracranial Aneurysm Clipping:

  • Surgical clipping is more effective than endovascular coiling for unruptured intracranial aneurysms, with treatment failure rates of 9% versus 19% respectively 3
  • Clipping achieves higher rates of complete aneurysm occlusion (81.4% vs 57.5%) 6
  • However, clipping causes more frequent neurologic deficits (22% vs 12%) and longer hospitalizations (48% vs 8% staying >5 days) 3

If You Mean Pulmonary Artery Catheterization:

  • PA catheters are not recommended for routine use but may be reasonable for severe valvular disease, decompensated heart failure, or cardiogenic shock when non-invasive assessment is inadequate 4
  • Complications include arrhythmias, venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, catheter infections, and pulmonary artery rupture 4

If You Mean Temporary Vascular Clipping During Surgery:

  • Temporary clips are used during neurovascular surgery (for AVMs or aneurysms) to control bleeding and facilitate dissection 7
  • This is a surgical technique, not a definitive treatment

Please clarify the specific procedure or condition you are asking about to receive an accurate, evidence-based recommendation.

Professional Medical Disclaimer

This information is intended for healthcare professionals. Any medical decision-making should rely on clinical judgment and independently verified information. The content provided herein does not replace professional discretion and should be considered supplementary to established clinical guidelines. Healthcare providers should verify all information against primary literature and current practice standards before application in patient care. Dr.Oracle assumes no liability for clinical decisions based on this content.

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