Coronary artery perforation during percutaneous coronary artery intervention: A case report and literature review

Abstract

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), despite its remarkable efficacy in the treatment of coronary artery disease, has some complications such as coronary artery perforations, which are uncommon but may lead to pericardial effusion and progress to cardiac tamponade, myocardial infarction, and death. A 76-year-old woman with a history of exertional angina was admitted to our hospital for PCI. The angiographic feature of the patient's PCI was a major dye leakage into the pericardial sac with a frank perforation, representing Type III Ellis classification. Given her unstable hemodynamic state and a high risk for perforation, immediate pericardiocentesis was performed and a JoStent GraftMaster Stent was used. In addition, a decision was made to perform a covered stent implantation, as an alternative to surgery, because balloon dilation failed to stop the leakage. The perforation was sealed successfully. After the pericardiocentesis and the emergency covered stent implantation, the patient was stable and her hemodynamic state improved gradually. Coronary artery perforations with sequelae during the intervention, albeit a rare event, may lead to serious complications and even death. While prompt surgical intervention may be life-saving, expertise in the use of covered stents may provide a valuable rescue option for this serious complication.