SAFETY AND TECHNICAL SUCCESS OF PERCUTANEOUS LEFT MAIN CORONARY ARTERY STENTING

Abstract

Background & Objective: Critical stenosis of left main coronary artery (LMCA) remains a challenge for interventional cardiologists and Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) remains first option. Recently, Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) is also being offered, but data is scarce in this regard. The aim of our study was to determine the safety and technical success rate of percutaneous left main coronary artery stenting.

Design: Quasi experimental study

Place & duration of study: The study was conducted at Cardiology department of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Islamabad from 11^th Jan 2011 to 10^th Jan 2013.

Subjects & Methods: All symptomatic patients who underwent coronary angiogram at PIMS and were found to have either isolated LMCA disease or coexisting osteal Left Anterior Descending (LAD) artery disease were potentially eligible for the study. After counselling, those who opted for PCI were included in the study. All these patients were treated with percutaneous left main coronary artery stenting with or without osteal LAD stenting.

Results: 72 patients had LMCA disease, 15 opted for CABG, in addition to four who did not met the inclusion criteria. So, 53 patients were finally enrolled with mean age of 55.5+10.3 years. 29 patients had acute coronary syndrome and 22 presented with unstable angina. PCI with stenting was technically successful in all patients. One patient died 03 months after PCI, and there was no other mortality.

Conclusion: Our study showed that PCI to LMS has good technical success rate; the safety of the procedure is also acceptable.

Key words: Left main coronary artery; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention; coronary artery bypass graft;