The management of retained guide-wires during percutaneous coronary angioplasty is highly individualized based on the patient's clinical status and the characteristics of the remnant.
Percutaneous coronary angioplasty is increasingly employed in the treatment of patients with complex coronary artery disease. Different steerable guide wires used to open occluded vessel and facilitate balloon and stent deployment. However, the guide-wire itself is not without hazard: it may perforate or dissect the vessel, but fracture or entrapment is uncommon. Its management depends on the clinical situation of the patient, as well as the position and length of the remnant. In this review we discuss the angioplasty guide-wire fracture and entrapment risk factors, potential risks and management.
Almoghairi et al. (Thu,) studied this question.