Equipment Entrapment/Loss During Chronic Total Occlusion Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Background. There is limited data on equipment loss or entrapment during chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods. We analyzed the baseline clinical and angiographic characteristics and outcomes of equipment loss/entrapment at 43 US and non-US centers between 2017 and 2023. Results. Equipment loss/entrapment was reported in 40 (0.4%) of 10 719 cases during the study period. These included guidewire entrapment/fracture (n = 21), microcatheter entrapment/fracture (n = 11), stent loss (n = 8) and balloon entrapment/fracture/rupture (n = 5). The equipment loss/entrapment cases were more likely to have moderate to severe calcification, longer lesion length, higher J-CTO and PROGRESS-CTO complications scores, and use of the retrograde approach compared with the remaining cases. Retrieval was attempted in 71.4% of the guidewire, 90.9% of the microcatheter, 100% of the stent loss, and 100% of the balloon cases, and was successful in 26.7%, 30.0%, 50%, and 40% of the cases, respectively. Procedures complicated by equipment loss/entrapment had higher procedure and fluoroscopy time, contrast volume and patient air kerma radiation dose, lower procedural (60.0% vs 85.6%, P < .001) and technical (75.0% vs 86.8%, P = .05) success, and higher incidence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) (17.5% vs 1.8%, P < .001), acute myocardial infarction (7.5% vs 0.4%, P < .001), emergency coronary artery bypass graft (2.5% vs 0.1%, P = .03), perforation (20.0% vs 4.9%, P < .001), and death (7.5% vs 0.4%, P < .001). Conclusions. Equipment loss is a rare complication of CTO PCI; it is more common in complex CTOs and is associated with lower technical success and higher MACE.