Inadvertent coronary endarterectomy during aspiration thrombectomy with a Thrombuster III GR catheter in a patient with acute coronary syndrome

Abstract

We describe a 41-year-old woman who presented with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. Emergent percutaneous intervention was performed with aspiration thrombectomy followed by coronary artery stenting. White material was extracted from the aspiration catheter. Reperfusion therapy after stenting was successful. After undergoing a cardiac rehabilitation program, she was discharged from hospital on day 10. Pathological examination revealed that the aspirated material consisted of normal vascular components including endothelial and smooth muscle cells. Aspiration thrombectomy is a commonly used procedure with a low complication rate. This case presents the previously unreported complication of coronary artery injury.

A Rare Case of Thrombus Aspiration Device Stuck in the Stent

“…Akgullu et al 8 reported a case of a thrombus aspiration catheter trapped in a coronary artery due to rupture of its main shaft and twisting over the wire while attempting to cross a tight lesion to aspirate a distal thrombus, and the whole system was percutaneously removed with pull. Taguchi et al 9 reported an inadvertent coronary endarterectomy during aspiration thrombectomy with a thrombus aspiration catheter in a patient with acute coronary syndrome. Oo Myat et al 10 described a case of broken tip of a thrombus aspiration catheter in the ectatic left circumflex artery of a young patient with Kawasaki disease, and the tip was retrieved percutaneously.…”