Experiencia inicial con la asistencia ventricular izquierda tipo «Impella» para el shock cardiogénico poscardiotomía y la angioplastia de tronco coronario izquierdo no protegido con baja fracción de eyección ventricular izquierda

Thirty-five day Impella 5.0 support via right axillary side graft cannulation for acute cardiogenic shock

We describe the use of an Impella 5.0 for mechanical support in acute cardiogenic shock after an acute myocardial infarction. A 61-year-old man with a history of severe coronary artery disease who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting with ischemic cardiomyopathy presented with cardiogenic shock after an ST-elevation myocardial infarction. An Impella Recover LP 5.0 (Abiomed, Danvers, MA USA) was inserted via a right axillary side graft, using transesophageal echocardiographic and fluoroscopic guidance. The patient remained in the intensive care unit, where he required a tracheostomy to be weaned off the ventilator. He required renal replacement therapy with subsequent complete recovery. His Impella support was weaned, and on postoperative day 35, the device was removed. The patient developed axillary thrombosis the morning after removal, requiring thrombectomy. Discharge echocardiogram showed mild left ventricular enlargement with global hypokinesis and left ventricular ejection fraction of 25%. The Impella 5.0 device can safely and effectively be used in the long-term support of cardiogenic shock.

[Update on interventional cardiology]

Percutaneous intervention, whether coronary or noncoronary, continues to be a highly active area of medicine. This article contains an overview of the most notable developments reported in recent months. Drug-eluting stents (DESs) have provided one of the major advances in interventional cardiology as they have very effectively reduced the restenosis rate. Both randomized clinical trials and large observational studies have confirmed their safety, and their use has been extended to include highly complex conditions. Although thrombosis is one complication that can affect both conventional stents and DESs, the rate of late stent thrombosis is slightly, though significantly, higher with DESs. Primary angioplasty is the treatment of choice for patients with acute myocardial infarction if carried out under appropriate conditions, within a reasonable time period in a specialized center by experienced personnel. Use of thrombectomy devices can improve procedural outcomes and it appears that DES implantation is safe and effective, though more data are still needed. In patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome, early treatment using an invasive approach coupled to the administration of various combinations of antiplatelet and antithrombotic drugs continues to be fundamental. Although left main coronary artery lesions are generally treated surgically, advances in percutaneous techniques and the use of DESs mean that an increasing number of patients are being treated using percutaneous coronary interventions. A number of studies have shown good results in other lesions and in high-risk patients with, for example, bifurcation lesions, chronic occlusions or diabetes. Intracoronary ultrasound is the predominant intracoronary diagnostic technique and it can be used to assist in optimizing DES implantation. In addition, measurement of the fractional flow reserve is helpful in evaluating the severity of moderate lesions whereas the high-resolution images provided by optical coherence tomography are particularly informative. Multislice computed tomography enables the presence of coronary artery disease to be ruled out and the technique is also useful as a complementary tool for interventional cardiologists. Research into regenerative techniques is promising but remains experimental at present. With regard to noncoronary interventions, new data have become available that support the use of a percutaneous approach in patients with patent foramen ovale. In addition, clinical experience with percutaneous aortic valve replacement, via either the transfemoral or transapical route, is increasing.