Lost and found: Coronary stent retrieval and review of literature

Abstract

A 61-year-old man with a history of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of the mid right coronary artery (RCA) with a drug eluting stent (DES), presented with non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction. Coronary angiography demonstrated complex disease of the distal RCA as well as in-stent stenosis of the previously placed mid RCA stent. The patient underwent bifurcation PCI of the distal RCA followed by attempted intervention with a DES on the mid RCA lesion. The stent could not cross the lesion and eventually became dissociated from its delivery system. The lost stent was successfully retrieved using two different snaring systems. The procedure was terminated without further attempts for stent delivery. The patient had an uneventful recovery and underwent successful PCI of the mid RCA lesion one month later.

Keywords: ACS/NSTEMI; PCI complications; complex percutaneous coronary intervention; coronary artery disease; foreign body retrieval; retrieval techniques; snaring systems; stent loss.