Background: Balloon rupture is a potential complication of coronary angioplasty. The literature is inconsistent regarding associated adverse consequences. The experience of St Paul's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, with balloon rupture is reviewed.
Patients and methods: All patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention complicated by balloon rupture at St Paul's Hospital from April 1992 to March 1996 were identified from the hospital's database (Seattle Systems, Seattle, Washington). Procedural logs, database records, clinical charts and all cineangiograms were reviewed in detail.
Results: A total of 2984 patients had percutaneous coronary revascularization and 110 patients experienced balloon rupture. These occurred in 101 (92%) native coronary arteries and 9 (8%) occurred in saphenous vein grafts. Stents were deployed in 44 (40%) patients; 34 of the stents used were half Johnson & Johnson PS153 stents (Johnson & Johnson Interventinal Systems, Peterborough, Ontario). An event-free postangioplasty course during the index hospitalization was observed in 102 patients (93%); eight patients (7%) had one or more important adverse events postprocedure. These included three deaths (one following a dissection and out-of-catheterization laboratory occlusion, a second following an abrupt occlusion of another target artery and emergency bypass surgery, and another with cardiogenic shock postmyocardial infarction and an unaltered course following angioplasty); one urgent bypass surgery after a left main dissection; and two nonfatal myocardial infarctions (one patient had tamponade and one patient experienced congestive heart failure). Four of the eight events were directly related to the procedure. The rate of death and emergency bypass surgery with balloon rupture did not differ from that of patients without balloon rupture in the authors' centre (1.8% versus 1.4%, not significant).
Conclusions: The majority of patients did not experience any adverse clinical outcomes and demonstrated good angiographic results after balloon rupture. The data did not detect an excess of major adverse events beyond that expected in a diverse general angioplasty population.