FRACTURE OF A PERFUSION BALLOON CATHETER DURING CORONARY ANGIOPLASTY

In a 74-year-old patient with increasing angina, an attempt was made t o dilate an ostial stenosis in the first diagonal artery. The initial attempt with a long balloon catheter was unsuccessful. Because of ches t pain associated with hypotension during balloon inflations, a second attempt with a perfusion balloon catheter resulted in fracture of thi s catheter's tip (14 mm long) in the artery. Bypass graft surgery was performed and the retained fragment was easily removed by arteriotomy. The patient made an uneventful recovery. (C) 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.