Abstract: From march 1985 to June 1981, 17 cases (18 limbs) with acute ischemia of lower extremity had been treated by Swan-Ganz catheter in our hospital. Eight cases of them were due to embolism of various heart diseases and others came from thrombosis. Although the patency of all occluding arteries were excellent after embolectomy, four limbs were amputated, because the operations perfromed later than 20 hours after the disease ensued. One patient died of renal faiture, since he had embolized both iliac arteries and admitted in our hospital too later to be saved, the other two died from traumatic shock and cerebral and coronary embolism. The advantages of using Swan-Ganz catherter were also discussed.