Heart Team Intervention for Calcified Left Main Coronary Disease and Jeopardized Left Internal Mammary Artery Graft
Nobunari Tomura1, Masashi Fujino1, Yu Kataoka1
1Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, 6-1 Kishibe-Shimmachi, Suita, Osaka, Japan.
Insights
Managing complex coronary lesions after aortic arch surgery is challenging. A heart team approach successfully treated a non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction patient with coronary subclavian steal syndrome, highlighting collaborative care for intricate cardiovascular conditions.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Vascular Surgery
- Interventional Cardiology
Background:
- Managing acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in patients with complex coronary vasculature and prior cardiac surgery presents diagnostic and therapeutic challenges.
- Left internal mammary artery (LIMA) grafts are crucial, but their patency and surrounding vasculature integrity can be compromised after procedures like aortic arch replacement.
Observation:
- A 73-year-old male with crescendo angina post-aortic arch replacement and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) presented with left main trunk stenosis.
- Coronary angiography revealed a patent LIMA graft to the LAD but occlusion of the proximal left subclavian artery, leading to coronary subclavian steal syndrome after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for left main stenosis.
Findings:
- Initial PCI for left main stenosis was followed by diagnosis of coronary subclavian steal syndrome via stress myocardial scintigraphy.
- Contrast-enhanced CT identified the subclavian artery occlusion at the anastomosis, posing risks for further endovascular intervention.
- A heart team decision led to successful axillo-axillary artery bypass surgery for definitive treatment.
Implications:
- This case underscores the critical role of a multidisciplinary heart team in navigating complex coronary anatomy and managing complications after aortic arch surgery.
- The successful surgical bypass highlights an effective strategy for treating coronary subclavian steal syndrome in high-risk patients.
- Optimal patient outcomes in intricate cardiovascular cases depend on collaborative decision-making and tailored therapeutic approaches.
Abstract:
It is sometimes difficult to identify the culprit lesion and treatment strategy in patients with acute coronary syndrome who have complex coronary lesions and jeopardized left internal mammary artery graft. This report describes a heart team approach for a non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction case with complex coronary vasculature. A 73-year-old man presented to the emergency department with crescendo angina. He had a history of total aortic arch replacement with concomitant coronary artery bypass graft using left internal mammary artery. Emergent coronary angiography demonstrated severe stenosis at left main trunk bifurcation caused by calcified nodule. While the bypass graft to left anterior descending coronary artery was patent, the proximal segment of left subclavian artery was occluded. Following the prompt discussion with our heart team, we performed percutaneous coronary intervention in the first step for treating the left main stenosis using rotational atherectomy into the unprotected left circumflex artery. After clinical recovery, stress myocardial scintigraphy identified the presence of anteroseptal ischemia, which indicated coronary subclavian steal syndrome due to left subclavian artery occlusion. Contrast-enhanced CT visualized that the occlusion originated from the anastomosis, suggesting the potential procedural risk of endovascular treatment by dilatation. Our heart team discussed again and decided to undergo axillo-axillary artery bypass surgery. He was discharged 8 days after the surgery without any sequelae. This is the rare case report of non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction who had similar condition to coronary subclavian steal syndrome after total aortic arch replacement. This case highlights the importance of a collaborative approach of the heart team to identify the best therapeutic strategy in a patient with complex coronary vasculature.
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