EMERGENCY ROTATIONAL ABLATION OF A CALCIFIED LEFT MAIN CORONARY-ARTERY STENOSIS IN A PATIENT WITH ISCHEMIC INDUCED CARDIOGENIC-SHOCK

High-speed rotational ablation is ideal in the treatment of chronic ca lcified atherosclerotic lesions. This report describes an elderly woma n with a prior history of coronary artery bypass surgery, who develope d cardiogenic shock secondary to occlusion of a saphenous vein graft t o the obtuse marginal branch of the circumflex coronary artery. Her le ft main coronary artery was heavily calcified and almost completely oc cluded. She was treated successfully by high-speed rotational ablation of her left main stenosis. (C) 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.