Protective ballooning technique for prevention of side branch occlusion in coronary nonleft main true bifurcation

Man Wang1, Haibo Liu1, Bo Xu1

  • 1Coronary Heart Disease Center, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.

Insights

The protective ballooning technique effectively prevents side branch occlusion during coronary interventions for bifurcation lesions. This method demonstrates favorable 12-month clinical outcomes, offering a safer approach for patients.

Area of Science:

  • Interventional Cardiology
  • Cardiovascular Research
  • Medical Device Technology

Background:

  • Side branch (SB) occlusion is a significant complication during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for coronary bifurcation lesions.
  • Effective strategies are needed to minimize SB occlusion and improve procedural success.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy of a protective ballooning technique in preventing SB occlusion.
  • To assess the long-term clinical outcomes of this technique in coronary nonleft main true bifurcation lesions.

Main Methods:

  • A randomized trial comparing protective ballooning technique versus jailed wire technique.
  • Patients (n=340) were assigned to either group and followed for 12 months.
  • Outcomes included SB occlusion, TIMI flow, need for rewiring, and major adverse cardiovascular events.

Main Results:

  • SB occlusion occurred in 0.6% with protective ballooning vs. 5.4% with jailed wire (p<0.05).
  • Higher TIMI flow grade 3 in SB (98.8% vs. 95.2%) and significantly less rewiring (0.6% vs. 4.2%) were observed with protective ballooning.
  • 12-month major adverse cardiovascular events were similar between groups.

Conclusions:

  • The protective ballooning technique is effective in preventing SB occlusion for nonleft main true bifurcation lesions.
  • This technique offers favorable long-term clinical outcomes at 12-month follow-up.
  • It represents a valuable advancement in PCI for complex coronary anatomy.
Abstract