Catheter emboli are a significant risk to patient well-being. With a 49% complication rate for indwelling catheter emboli, the consensus is that these foreign bodies should be removed. Preferably, the emboli are removed by percutaneous extraction; however, if the emboli are in the heart or central vasculature and percutaneous extraction fails, then thoracotomy with operative removal is necessary. We analyze the literature on catheter emboli and present a case showing that extraction of embolized fragments is not always possible.