GUIDE CATHETER EXCHANGE TECHNIQUES - BI-COAXIAL AND OTHER METHODS

Maintaining the position of a guidewire across coronary artery lesions during angioplasty is important to allow rapid and reliable access, S tabilizing these small caliber angioplasty guidewires during guide cat heter replacement is often difficult, if not impossible at times, This article reviews the techniques for exchanging guide catheters while m aintaining coronary guidewire position, It also introduces the bi-coax ial guide catheter exchange technique. (C) 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.