Pulmonary artery (Swan-Ganz) catheters are employed less than they were in the past but still have an important role to play in certain clinical contexts. This patient is brain dead and is being assessed for heart and lung transplantation. The evaluation includes measuring right heart and pulmonary artery pressures. 

Ideally the catheter is placed in the right/left main pulmonary arteries, and should not lie more than 1 cm lateral to the mediastinum. If the catheter lies too distally and the balloon is inflated there is a risk of pulmonary infarction.