Technique for Salvage Reconstruction of Shredded Left Main Coronary Artery After Rotablator Injury

ABSTRACT

We report the technique needed to effectively repair a left main (LM) coronary artery shredding after rotational atherectomy and destruction of the LM coronary artery. The patient had been deemed inoperable at another center, due to diffuse distal coronary disease. The complication led to cardiac tamponade and hemodynamic collapse, necessitating cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and salvage surgery. This is perhaps the first case in literature to show a successful repair of such a complex and significant LM, LAD and LCX coronary artery rupture in a patient in extremis.