Early Distal Migration of a Self-Expanding Aortic Valve Prosthesis Causing Myocardial Infarction

Abstract

Early distal migration after transcatheter aortic valve replacement is a rare but potentially catastrophic complication that presents unique technical challenges for subsequent surgical management. This report describes a case of early distal migration of a Medtronic CoreValve Evolut R bioprosthesis (Minneapolis, MN) causing myocardial infarction from coronary ostial obstruction and provides a practical technique for open surgical device explantation and aortic valve re-replacement. Snaring the stent of the device using standard instruments is a simple but effective method for transcatheter aortic valve replacement explant that allows for optimal positioning of a single aortotomy at the standard anatomic site to facilitate subsequent surgical aortic valve replacement.