Coronary Artery Stent Dislodgement and Loss in the Bloodstream: A Case Report and Management Options

BACKGROUND Coronary stent dislodgement is rare but carries serious complications like thrombosis, myocardial infarction, disruption of the systemic circulation, and coronary dissection, which can lead to sudden death. Thus, rapid evaluation and intervention are needed to restore blood flow to vital organs. CASE REPORT A 46-year-old woman with no relevant past medical history except for smoking, presented to the Emergency Department (ED) with left-sided chest pain. The physical exam was unremarkable. EKG showed ST segment elevation, and troponin was 4.03. She underwent cardiac catheterization, which showed 100% occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD). A drug-eluting stent (DES) was placed. Later, she had chest pain similar to the initial episode. EKG showed 1-mm elevation at ST segment in leads V1 and V2 and T wave inversion in leads V2, V3, V4, and V5. She underwent a repeat heart catheterization, which revealed a dissection in the middle LAD distal to the initial stent placement. She was treated with another stent overlapping the proximal stent. While attempting to cross the proximal stent, the stent came off the balloon, slipped from the wire, and went down into the descending aorta. CONCLUSIONS Coronary artery stent dislodgement is a rare event that can lead to significant complications during PCI. Patient restlessness and small-sized, severely angulated, and previously stented coronary arteries are associated risk factors. The main treatment option is stent retrieval, either surgically or using other available techniques. If retrieval of the stent is impossible, crushing it against the blood vessel wall could be considered.