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The treatment of an acute left main coronary artery occlusion still poses a challenge. In this case report we present a 50-year-old patient with an acute occlusion of the left main artery. After a successful angioplasty without "stenting" due to the complexity of the stenosis the patient underwent a successful bypass surgery. We discuss the therapeutic options of acute left main occlusion regarding medical, interventional and surgical options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The common use of stents, including antiproliferative drug-eluting stents, has been a major breakthrough in invasive cardiology. Nowadays, a change in the clinical presentation of patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is observed. The typical clinical characteristics now include advanced age, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, heart failure, and multilevel atherosclerosis. Age, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease are the main predictors of coronary artery calcifications. Severe coronary artery calcifications are the main factor limiting the efficacy of PCI. Successful stent implantation is challenging in the presence of calcifications, because it is difficult to achieve full stent expansion and proper stent apposition. Therefore, it is necessary to adequately prepare the lesion before stent implantation. This document presents the technique of rotational atherectomy (rotablation) as well as indications for and contraindications to the procedure, along with its possible complications and their prevention. Training in rotablation for operators as well as reimbursement policy for the procedure in Poland are also discussed.

Background: Costs of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) have an important impact on health care expenditures. Despite the present stress upon the cost-effectiveness issues in medicine, few comprehensive data exist on costs and resource use in different clinical settings., Aim: To assess catheterisation laboratory costs related to use of drugs and single-use devices in patients undergoing PCI due to coronary artery disease., Methods: Retrospective analysis of 1500 consecutive PCIs (radial approach, n = 1103; femoral approach, n = 397) performed due to ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI; n = 345) and non ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI; n = 426) as well as unstable angina (UA; n = 489) and stable angina (SA; n = 241) was undertaken. Comparative cost analysis was performed and shown in local currency units (PLN)., Results: The cath lab costs were higher in STEMI (4295.01 ± 2384.54PLN, p < 0.001) compared to NSTEMI (3493.40 ± 1907.43 PLN, p < 0.001), UA (3206.31 ± 1692.82 PLN, p < 0.001) and SA patients (3138.91 ± 1427.62 PLN, p < 0.001). They were higher in males than in females (3668.9 ± 2095.2 vs. 3292.0 ± 1656.0 PLN, p < 0.05). In females PCIs performed via radial approach were more expensive than via femoral approach (3360.4 ± 1540.1 vs. 3135.5 ± 1890.3 PLN, p < 0.01). In all subgroups analysed, costs were positively correlated with X-ray dose, fluoroscopy, and total procedure times. Patients' age negatively correlated with cath lab costs in STEMI/NSTEMI patients., Conclusions: Cath lab costs were higher in STEMI patients compared to other groups. In STEMI/NSTEMI they were lower in older patients. In all analysed groups costs were related to the level of procedural difficulty. In female patients, the costs of PCI performed via radial approach were higher compared to femoral approach. Despite younger age, male patients underwent more expensive procedures.

Background: Comparisons between one- and two-stent strategies for unprotected left main (UPLM) coronary bifurcation disease have yielded inconsistent results. This large-sample, long-term follow-up study comparatively assessed stenting strategy impact in patients with distal left main disease., Methods: Totally, 1,528 consecutive patients underwent left main percutaneous coronary intervention in a single center from January 2004 to December 2010 were enrolled; among them, 1033 patients with distal UPLM lesions treated by one (n = 661) or two (n = 372) drug-eluting stent (DES) technique were comparatively analyzed. Primary outcome was rate of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), defined as a composite of death, myocardial infarction (MI), and target vessel revascularization (TVR)., Results: Overall, baseline SYNTAX score was low-intermediate (one stent: 25 ± 6 vs. two stents: 26 ± 5, P = 0.02), and mean clinical SYNTAX score was similar between groups (one stent: 30 ± 22 vs. two stents: 31 ± 22, P = 0.47). Final kissing balloon was successfully achieved in most of the patients treated with two-stent technique (one stent: 30.9% vs. two stents: 96.0%, P < 0.01), and use of intravascular ultrasound was also more common in them (one stent: 32.2% vs. two stents: 53.8%, P < 0.01). At mean 4 years follow-up, rates of MACE (one stent: 9.2% vs. two stents: 11.6%, P = 0.23), death, MI, and TVR were similar between groups. In multivariate propensity-matched regression analysis, two-stent technique was not predictive of MACE., Conclusions: For patients with distal UPLM disease and low-intermediate SYNTAX score treated with DES, clinical outcomes appear similar between optimal two-stent implantation and one-stent strategy. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., (© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Abstract: An isolated single coronary artery is a rare congenital anomaly and an uncommon finding in patients undergoing coronary angiography. In this report, we describe a rare case of a patient who had an anomaly of the left and right coronary arteries with a single coronary ostium in the right sinus of Valsalva, in which percutaneous coronary intervention was successfully performed in the right coronary artery. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We report a case of acute myocardial infarction due to acute thrombosis of the right coronary artery just before a large atherosclerotic aneurysm. The patient was treated with primary percutaneous coronary angioplasty (PCA) and deployment of graft-coated stent with optimal final result. Patients with atherosclerotic coronary aneurysms usually show the same cardiovascular risk factors and the same clinical presentation of patients with atherosclerotic obstructive coronary artery disease, but with an increased risk of endovascular thrombosis and consequently more frequent episodes of distal coronary embolism. Furthermore, they may develop other specific complications, such as rapid aneurysm enlargement and rupture leading to cardiac tamponade. In conclusion, our report shows that percutaneous approach to coronary aneurysms with exclusion of aneurismal lumen by placement of graft-coated stent is a feasible and safety procedure even during the acute phase of myocardial infarction, and it may probably reduce the risk of subsequent distal embolization, improving myocardial perfusion. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We describe a 74-year-old female patient with unstable angina. The coronary angiogram showed the presence of a single coronary artery arising from the right sinus of Valsalva, which is a very uncommon congenital anomaly, with subocclusive atherosclerotic plaques at the proximal and distal right coronary artery. The stenoses were treated through percutaneous coronary angioplasty and insertion of taxol-eluting stents, with complete relief of symptoms and without evidence of myocardial ischemia at 6-months follow up. Single coronary artery is a rare congenital coronary anomaly, which may be asymptomatic and occasionally detected in patients with myocardial ischemia due to atherosclerotic coronary artery disease. In these cases, percutaneous coronary angioplasty with stent insertion may be a successful therapeutic option; however, accurate morphologic identification of anomalous arteries is mandatory before planning these interventions, in order to recognize other possible mechanisms of myocardial ischemia (e.g. vascular compression) and to choose the most appropriate type of pharmacological, percutaneous or surgical intervention. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The state-of-the-art review of literature on the problem of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty in patients of the senior age groups with sharp cardiovascular pathology is submitted in tree parts. Angiographic and clinical criteria which identify indications and contraindications to perform percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty are defined and analysed.

Early clinical trials of eptifibatide did not show a significant association between eptifibatide and the development of thrombocytopenia, thrombosis, or disseminated intravascular coagulation. However, more recent literature has suggested a significant association between eptifibatide and the development of thrombocytopenia and thrombosis. Although the true incidence and the pathophysiology of these associations are unknown, the development of these events can be life-threatening. Herein, we describe the case of a patient who experienced acute onset of profound thrombocytopenia, developing thrombosis, pulmonary emboli, and disseminated intravascular coagulation. This paper adds to the few previous reports of cases that suggested an association between thrombocytopenia, thrombosis, and the administration of eptifibatide. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report in the medical literature that associates the new onset of thrombocytopenia, thrombosis, and disseminated intravascular coagulation with the administration of eptifibatide. We also provide a subject review.

A 42-year-old-woman presented with de novo crescendo angina. Thallium-scintigraphy showed inferior ischemia. Coronary angiogram revealed a right coronary artery (RCA), originating from the left sinus of Valsalva with a severe proximal systolic compression. She underwent successful transradial percutaneous coronary intervention with stent implantation. Multislice-computed tomography (MSCT) is usually used to evaluate coronary artery anomalies and can effectively show the anomalous RCA and the inter-arterial trajectory between the aorta and pulmonary arteries. Anomalies of the origin of the coronary arteries are rare, but can produce specific clinicopathological entities that should be diagnosed with accuracy. This case report illustrates the role of MSCT in the detailed description of an abnormal coronary artery and the use of stenting for symptoms relief.