Haemodynamic and haemorheologic effects of intracoronary perfusion during percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA)

Abstract

During PTCA, inflation of the catheter balloon to dilate the coronary stenosis produces complete coronary occlusion and results in myocardial ischaemia, thus limiting the duration of inflation. It was the aim of this study to determine if a protective effect can be obtained by blood perfusion through the dilatation catheter during the phase of balloon inflation, which might permit an increase in the duration of inflation. Such a protective effect would reduce the problems of repeated localisation of the catheter if the primary dilatation was unsuccessful, and if PTCA induced a critical phase for the patient requiring surgical intervention, this interval could be bridged by this new method of perfusion.