Iatrogenic Dissection of Left Main Stem Coronary Artery Necessitating Emergency Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: A Rare Life Threatening Complication of Diagnostic Coronary Angiography-Juniper Publishers
JUNIPER PUBLISHERS - OPEN ACCESS JOURNAL OF CARDIOLOGY & CARDIOVASCULAR THERAPY Abstract Coronary angiography is the investigation of choice to understand coronary anatomy. Although it is a generally safe procedure, it is not risk free. Coronary artery dissection is a rare condition. It can be either spontaneous or iatrogenic as a complication of angiography, angioplasty or cardiac surgery. We report the case of an iatrogenic dissection of the left main stem coronary artery with extension into the left anterior descending artery (LAD) secondary to an elective coronary angiogram. The complication was treated with emergency coronary artery bypass surgery with a left internal mammary artery to LAD anastamosis and long saphenous vein as graft conduits respectively. We aim to highlight the importance of prompt identification of such complication as well as the challenges in management with regards to coronary artery bypass surgery or bail out stenting. Keywords: Left...