Two catheters for one coronary perforation

Abstract Coronary perforation is a severe complication of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with high mortality and morbidity. The incidence of coronary perforation in patients undergoing PCI ranges from 0.1% to 0.5%. The use of long balloon inflation and reversal anticoagulation is associated with high mortality, periprocedural myocardial infarction and emergency coronary bypass surgery. We present a case of severe coronary perforation treated with the dual catheter technique through the radial and femoral approach. The dual catheter technique enabled rapid delivery of a covered stent without losing control of the perforation site. Our patient did not show pericardial effusion, hemodynamic instability or need for emergency bypass surgery. About 1h after PCI, he developed acute stent thrombosis treated with thromboaspiration and biolimus-eluting stent implantation. At 2 years of follow-up, he was asymptomatic without evidence of exercise-induced ischemia. We conclude that the dual catheter technique is a safe and effective approach to treat PCI-induced severe coronary perforation, and may significantly improve patient outcome compared to historical series.