[Retrieval of devices lost or entrapped during percutaneous coronary interventions]

Device loss or entrapment during percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) is a rare circumstance whose incidence has decreased over time mainly because of device improvements. Nevertheless, they still represent fearful complications also and above all because the operators may be unfamiliar with rescue and retrieval techniques. The devices that most frequently experience loss or entrapment are stents, followed by angioplasty balloons, burrs for rotational atherectomy, guidewires and microcatheters. In this review we will illustrate the risk factors for device loss and the main retrieval techniques, as described in the literature or stemmed from our experience as high-volume PCI center.