Consecutive electrocardiographic changes during percutaneous coronary intervention for acute coronary syndrome with high-grade atrioventricular block: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) with high-grade atrioventricular block (HAVB) still has a poor mortality risk, even in the current percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) era. However, early PCI for ACS with HAVB is associated with improved in-hospital survival and a 6-month survival similar to that of ACS without HAVB. CASE PRESENTATION: A 70-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for ACS with HAVB. ECG showed complete AV block, complete right bundle branch block (CRBBB), and left axis deviation. Cardiac enzymes were elevated. He underwent temporary pacemaker insertion and coronary angiography, which showed severe stenosis of the proximal right coronary artery (RCA), 99% stenosis of the distal RCA with Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) grade 2 flow, and total occlusion of the proximal left anterior descending artery (LAD). We performed primary PCI in both the RCA and LAD, which resulted in TIMI grade 3 flow in both. After PCI, the HAVB recovered to normal sinus rhythm with CRBBB; a normal QRS interval returned within three days. The patient was discharged from the hospital without complications. CONCLUSION: In this case of ACS with HAVB, early intensive coronary artery reperfusion resulted in long-term patient survival. The blood supply to the AV node and bilateral bundle branches is complex. Multivessel ischemia may compromise both primary and collateral blood flows to the AV node and septum, resulting in severe conduction impairment. Clinicians performing PCI should be aware of this anatomy and physiology.

[A Case of Local Recurrence of Bile Duct Cancer Completely Responding to Chemoradiotherapy with S-1].

An 80-year-old man with common bile duct cancer was treated by pancreaticoduodenectomy with D2 lymph node dissection in October 2005. The patient presented with frequent episodes of bloody-mucous rectal discharge in July 2009. An abdominal CT demonstrated local recurrence at the hepatoduodenal ligament. We treated him with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) with single-dose S-1 chemotherapy. After 6 months, we diagnosed a complete response (CR) by follow-up CT. The patient was treated with S-1 for 3 years after the diagnosis of a CR. He is alive without disease 6 years after the diagnosis of the recurrence. Concurrent CRT with S-1 chemotherapy may be the therapy of choice for recurrence of bile duct cancer.

The potential hazard of a non-slip element balloon causing distal longitudinal stent deformation: the first clinical experience and in vitro assessment.

BACKGROUND: A new complication, longitudinal stent deformation (LSD), is increasingly reported with recent intracoronary stent designs. There have been experiences of unusual cases of distal LSD caused by entrapment of a Lacrosse® non-slip element (NSE) balloon (Goodman Co., Ltd., Nagoya, Japan), which has three flexible nylon elements to prevent slippage. Accordingly, the aim of this study is to report the clinical experience of distal LSD caused by the NSE in the documented center and to investigate the incidence and mechanisms involved. METHODS: Coronary intervention cases were retrospectively reviewed using the NSE balloon in hospital between May 2014 and June 2017. In bench testing, distal LSD was reproduced in a silicon tube model to identify its mechanism. RESULTS: A total of 95 patients with 107 lesions underwent coronary interventions with NSE. Of these, 72 lesions (12 de-novo lesions and 60 in-stent restenosis) were treated using in-stent dilatation. Two distal LSD cases occurred, representing an incidence of 2.78% (2/72) among all procedures; 16.7% (2/12) of the de-novo lesions developed LSD. In vitro experimentation allowed indentification of the mechanisms involved and bailout strategies. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to evaluate NSE balloon catheter entrapment complicated by distal LSD in which reconstruction of the deformed stent and retrieval of the NSE could be achieved successfully. There is a potential hazard for distal LSD during post-dilatation using the NSE balloon due to its structural characteristics. Careful assessment is needed to prevent this complication.