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Updated: Jul 16, 2025

Author Spotlight: Enhancing Coronary Artery Revascularization
Published on: September 15, 2023
A Case of Late Cardiac Tamponade After a Complex Percutaneous Coronary Intervention
Fahad B Tahir1, Sualeha Zulfiqar2, Muhammad Umair Rana3
1Hospital Medicine, TidalHealth Peninsula Regional, Salisbury, USA.
Insights
Rotational atherectomy (RA) is crucial for complex PCI but carries risks. This case highlights a rare delayed complication: cardiac tamponade days after the procedure.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Interventional Cardiology
- Vascular Surgery
Background:
- Rotational atherectomy (RA) is an essential endovascular technique for debulking calcified coronary plaque during complex percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).
- While generally safe, RA is associated with periprocedural complications, including coronary perforation, occurring in up to 2% of cases.
- Delayed and unrecognized complications following RA can lead to significant patient morbidity and mortality.
Abstract:
Rotational atherectomy (RA) is an endovascular procedure to ablate calcified plaque and is an integral tool for complex percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Rotational atherectomy increases the risk of periprocedural complications. One of the major complications of RA is coronary perforation, which has a reported incidence of up to 2%. It is usually identified and managed within the procedure. Rarely, there are delayed and unanticipated complications that can be missed, causing significant morbidity and mortality. We present a rare case of a patient with a late presentation of cardiac tamponade days after a complex PCI with RA.
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