Surgical management for a retained guidewire in vivo during percutaneous coronary interventions following acute myocardial infarction from descending thoracic aorta to external iliac artery: a case report

This case report describes the unique presentation of a 60-year-old woman who was referred from the cardiology department due to the retention of a guidewire following a coronary angiogram. The guidewire was inadvertently left in the right external iliac artery after the angiogram procedure. This report discusses the clinical presentation, diagnostic procedures, and successful management of this case without unusual complication. The successful removal of the retained guidewire culminated in a favourable outcome for the patient. Efforts to extract residual guide-wire fragments from the coronary circulation are generally the preferred course of action. Nevertheless, certain case reports and series have proposed that, in carefully selected patients, leaving the guide-wires in situ without attempting extraction may be a reasonable option when the likelihood of successful removal appears remote, considering anatomical and technical factors. For such cases, a more suitable approach involves administering systemic anticoagulation and antiplatelet agents, coupled with vigilant follow-up.