Background: This study reports procedural and short-term clinical outcomes from a real-world series with the use of coronary lithotripsy in the context of primary angioplasty in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).
Methods and results: This was a prospective registry conducted at 2 hospitals, which included 10 patients who presented a culprit calcified lesion within acute STEMI and underwent coronary lithotripsy during primary angioplasty, between July 2019 and July 2020. Mean age was 69.2 ± 11.8 years, and there was a high proportion of hypertension (70%) and dyslipidemia (60%). All lesions (type B/C) were predilated with a semicompliant balloon. Coronary lithotripsy was performed in all cases once macroscopic thrombus was successfully retrieved by thrombus aspiration catheter. Before lithotripsy, rotational atherectomy was used in 1 case and cutting balloon was used in 2 cases. On average, coronary lithotripsy required the use of 1 lithotripsy balloon (range, 1-2) delivering a mean of 70 pulses. Two lithotripsy balloons were ruptured during lithotripsy therapy without any adverse event. Successful coronary lithotripsy was achieved in 90%. There were no periprocedural cardiac complications.
Conclusions: Coronary lithotripsy seems to be a safe and effective technique in patients with STEMI and a culprit calcified lesion undergoing primary angioplasty for calcium modification in the absence of angiographic thrombus, and a suitable option to achieve adequate stent expansion and apposition.
Keywords: atherectomy; calcification.