The patient is a 70-year-old male with no other atherogenic risk factors who presented with an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) of unstable angina subsequently complicated by a non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). The patient's presentation posed 3 unique features: (1) cardiac catheterization demonstrated nonobstructive 3-vessel multi-aneurysmal coronary artery disease with sluggish an...

Dissection of the ascending aorta is a very rare but life-threatening complication during diagnostic angiography. We present a case of an elderly woman who underwent an elective diagnostic coronary angiography, complicated with an iatrogenic ascending aorta dissection that did not involve the coronary arteries but originated 4 cm distal of the aortic valve. The patient developed cardiogenic sho...

A unique case of dissecting aneurysm of the aorta is presented. The dissection spread via a ductus arteriosus to the pulmonary artery andformed a re-entry window at the junction of the main and left pulmonary arteries. Cardiac catheterization and angiocardiography confirmed the presence and approximate site of thefistula. Surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass was effective in closing it. The pat...

We reviewed the records of 2,400 consecutive patients undergoing cardiac catheterization at USAF Medical Center Keesler between 1978 and 1984 and found 35 patients (1.5 percent of all cardiac catheterizations) aged 35 years or less (mean age, 32 years) who underwent cardiac catheterization after myocardial infarction. These 35 patients (group 1) were compared to a randomly selected group of 100...

OBJECTIVE To assess the occurrence of cardiac events in patients diagnosed with left main coronary artery disease on diagnostic cardiac catheterization and waiting for myocardial revascularization surgery. METHODS All patients diagnosed with left main coronary artery disease (stenosis > or = 50%) consecutively identified on diagnostic cardiac catheterization during an 8-month period were sele...

A pseudoaneurysm refers to a defect in the arterial wall, allowing communication of arterial blood with the adjacent extra-luminal space. Pseudoaneurysms result from traumatic arterial injury. With the increasing utilization of percutaneous arterial interventions, iatrogenic arterial injury has become the predominant cause of pseudoaneurysm formation. Rupture of the pseudoaneurysm comprises a v...

Because of continuous improvements in emergency prehospital services, high-volume ST-elevation myocar-dial infarction (STEMI) networks are nowadays admitting increasing numbers of patients with hemodynamic deterioration including profound cardiogenic shock and refractory cardiac arrest. The intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) unfortunately offers only limited hemodynamic support without evidence o...

Bubble: Coronary air embolism: Iatrogenic introduction of air into the coronary vasculature results in coronary air embolism. It is an uncommon complication during cardiac catheterization with an incidence of 0.1–0.3%. Vascular air embolism increases microvascular permeability, and platelet aggregation occurs due to turbulent flow. The primary management of coronary air embolism is prevention. ...