Case report: intracoronary stent fracture complicated with coronary abscess and fistulization into the pericardium

Abstract

Background Stent fractures are a rare complication of angioplasties and are an unusual substrate for coronary abscesses. Case summary A 63-years old patient came into the Emergency Department for ongoing chest pain. The patient had recently underwent coronary stent implantation, three months prior. CT coronary angiography revealed a coronary abscess and stent fracture, with blood effraction into the pericardium. The patient underwent emergency open heart surgery to clear the infection and perform coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Post-operative outcome was tentatively favorable. The patient suffered acute kidney injury and required hemodialysis. Discussion Coronary stent fracture is a rare complication which can be life threatening and which can lead to severe sequelae.