Swan-Ganz catheter /swän″ ganz″/ [Harold J.C. Swan, American physician, b. 1922; William Ganz, American cardiologist, b. 1919; Gk, katheter, something lowered] , a long, thin cardiac catheter with a tiny balloon at the tip. It is used to determine left ventricular function by measuring pulmonary capillary wedge pressure.
