An 81-year-old man with diabetes, hypertension and a previous history of bypass surgery was recently admitted in Venkateswara Hospital for chest pain and breathing difficulty.
He was diagnosed with acute pulmonary oedema with fluid accumulating in the lungs. He had also suffered cardiogenic shock and his BP was very low. He was put on non-invasive ventilation and medically stabilised in intensive care unit.
He then underwent emergency coronary angiogram, which showed that all the bypass grafts had occluded and he had a critical densely calcific disease. The hospital decided on PCI considering his advanced age, a release said.
Doctors used intra vascular lithotripsy, wherein a balloon is inserted into the calcified segment and a series of shock waves are administered to crack the calcium. When the calcium cracked and the vessel yielded, a stent was positioned. A repeat imaging showed that the stent had opened well and the blood flow was good. The man was ambulant in 48 hours and was discharged, the release added.
