Safety of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors in urgent or emergency coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

Approximately 2% to 4% of patients undergo urgent or emergency coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) for complications of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) after treatment with glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa inhibitors. The pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors play a large role in determining the safety of their use in the setting of urgent or emergency CABG procedures. Emergency or urgent CABG after treatment with the GP IIb/IIIa inhibitor, abciximab, may be associated with increased risk of hemorrhage and the requirement of platelet transfusions if surgery is performed within 12 h of abciximab discontinuation.

Successful treatment of a saphenous vein graft pseudoaneurysm with PTFE-covered JoStents.

A pseudoaneurysm of a saphenous vein bypass graft to a first diagonal coronary artery is reported. The patient presented with worsening angina symptoms 14 years after her first bypass surgery when this diagonal graft was implanted. Angiography revealed a 3 x 3 cm pseudoaneurysm of the graft.