Failure to retrieve undeployed paclitaxel-eluting coronary stents.
Following the observation of difficulty in retrieving undeployed paclitaxel-eluting coronary stents (Taxus), we performed a retrospective analysis of 1,415 consecutive percutaneous coronary interventions and addressed the frequency of damaged or lost undeployed coronary stents. The incidence for Cypher, Taxus, and bare metal stents was 0%, 1.5%, and 0.3%, respectively (p = 0.0007). In the 11 cases involving Taxus stents, the treated vessel was invariably severely tortuous and/or calcified. The device was successfully retrieved despite being damaged and/or dislodged from the stent balloon in 5 cases; in 6 cases, stent embolization occurred. The clinical consequences were chronic claudication due to lower extremity device embolization in 1 patient and urgent surgical stent removal in 1 patient.
Roffi
Marco
M
Department of Cardiology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. marco.roffi@usz.ch
Luscher
Thomas F
TF
Sutsch
Gabor
G
Maier
Willibald
W
Neuenschwanden
Christian
C
Ramteke
Girish B
GB
Corti
Roberto
R
Eberli
Franz R
FR
D000368:Aged; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000628:therapy; D020878:Device Removal; D004867:Equipment Design; D004868:Equipment Failure; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015607:Stents / Q000009:adverse effects*
D017239:Paclitaxel