Failure to Retrieve Undeployed Paclitaxel-Eluting Coronary Stents

Following the observation of difficulty in retrieving undeployed paclitaxel-eluting coronary stents (Taxus), we performed a retrospective analysis of 1,415 consecutive percutaneous coronary interventions and addressed the frequency of damaged or lost undeployed coronary stents. The incidence for Cypher, Taxus, and bare metal stents was 0%, 1.5%, and 0.3%, respectively (p = 0.0007). In the 11 cases involving Taxus stents, the treated vessel was invariably severely tortuous and/or calcified. The device was successfully retrieved despite being damaged and/or dislodged from the stent balloon in 5 cases; in 6 cases, stent embolization occurred. The clinical consequences were chronic claudication due to lower extremity device embolization in 1 patient and urgent surgical stent removal in 1 patient.