Catheter-Assisted Balloon-Supported Retrieval of a Broken Semi-Compliant Balloon from a Coronary Artery

Incidents of broken balloon in a coronary vasculature during percutaneous coronary angioplasty are very rare. Such events in cath-lab may create panic and can be life threatening for patients. Hence, immediate retrieval of broken balloon becomes vital. Here, we report an unusual complication of broken balloon in the mid portion of the left anterior descending coronary artery, which had a calcified and totally occluded in-stent restenotic lesion. The broken balloon was retrieved successfully with no eventual complication using a simple catheter-assisted balloon-supported retrieval technique. The present case highlights the need for interventional cardiologist to be acquainted with different retrieval techniques.