Approach to high intracoronary thrombus burden in the era of COVID-19

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, several cases have reported extensive multivessel coronary thrombosis as a cardiovascular manifestation of SARS-CoV-2 infection. This case describes a patient who developed non-ST elevation myocardial infarction during hospitalization for acute hypoxic respiratory failure due to COVID-19. We review the immediate and delayed revascularisation strategies of culprit and non-culprit lesions in the setting of high intracoronary thrombus burden induced by SARS-CoV-2. Successful percutaneous intervention and stenting of a culprit lesion and resolution of an intracoronary thrombus using a delayed strategy of lesion passivation with adjuvant pharmacotherapy are demonstrated on index and follow-up angiography.

Saphenous Vein Graft Aneurysm after Drug-Eluting Stent Implantation: Treatment by Covered Stent

Saphenous vein graft aneurysms (SVGAs) occur as a rare complication of coronary artery bypass graft but increases the risk of morbidity and mortality. Atherosclerosis is considered to be the most common cause of saphenous vein graft aneurysms. Other etiologies include infections, varicosities of vein grafts, and surgical technical issues. These aneurysms usually present as an incidental finding of a mediastinal or cardiac mass on chest radiograph. Symptomatic aneurysms may present with a wide variety of clinical manifestations such as chest pain/angina, shortness of breath, and myocardial infarction. Treatment options of SVG aneurysms include surgery, percutaneous intervention (including vascular plugs, covered stents, and embolization coils), and conservative management. Herein, we describe a case of a saphenous vein graft aneurysm that developed after percutaneous intervention, which has never been described, to our knowledge, in the previous literature. The aneurysm was treated with polytetrafluoroethylene covered stent implantation.

Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) Treated with Snake Antivenom

Cardiac complications following snakebites are uncommon but fatal. Here, we discuss a case of a snakebite that led to acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Forty-five-year-old male presented to the emergency room with snakebite on the right middle finger. He was given symptomatic treatment and admitted for observation. His vital signs and initial investigations were normal except for the white blood count that was high. During observation, he developed vomiting and bradycardia. He was diagnosed with a right bundle branch block on ECG. The patient developed chest pain after a few hours and was diagnosed with AMI on ECG. The toxicology team started antivenom therapy. His troponin kept rising initially but later started coming down without percutaneous intervention (PCI). He was treated successfully with antivenom therapy and discharged.

Left Main Disease PCI vs CABG: A Brief Review of Important Literature

Left main coronary artery (LMCA) disease is defined as > 50% narrowing of vessel diameter; it is the disease of significant morbidity and mortality because it supplies 75% of the left ventricle, so any insult to the left main can lead to severe LV dysfunction, sudden cardiac arrest and arrhythmia. The incidence of left main disease in patients undergoing coronary angiography is 4-6%. The untreated left main disease has mortality around 20% at 1 year [1,2].Initially, the procedure of choice for the significant left main disease was coronary artery by-pass surgery (CABG), as medical therapy carries a high mortality rate as compared to CABG (36.5% vs 16.0%). Nevertheless, with the advancement in percutaneous intervention (PCI), there is a growing interest and passion in the percutaneous intervention of LMCA [3]. European [4] and American [5] guidelines recommend CABG (class I) as the treatment method of choice for LMCA in patients with all anatomical complexities. Current European treatment guidelines give PCI class I along with CABG if SYNTAX score < 22, class IIa if between 23-32, and class III (Harm) if SYNTAX > 33. Current US guidelines currently gives class IIa recommendation for PCI if syntax score is low, class IIb for a score between 23-32 and similar to European guideline's class III (Harm) for SYNTAX score > 33. We reviewed the major landmark trials that compare PCI vs CBAG as a treatment option for left main disease along with important meta-analysis