Safety and Efficacy of Guidezilla Extension Catheter for the Percutaneous Treatment of Complex Coronary Lesions

Abstract

Background: The Guidezilla^TM support extension catheter is designed to provide extra back-up support and efficient device delivery during complex percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs), such as in treatment of severe calcification, tortuous chronic total occlusions (CTOs), and coronary anomalies. The aim of this study was to describe our initial experience with the Guidezilla^TM extension catheter in the treatment of complex coronary artery lesions. Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed data from 165 PCI cases that used the Guidezilla^TM guide extension catheter between March 2015 and August 2017. We collected patient clinical characteristics, target lesion characteristics, and procedural details. Results: Eighty-six percent of patients had complex Type C lesions, and 13.9% had Type B lesions. Lesion length ranged from 8 mm to 130 mm (≤ 20 mm, 15.4%; 20–40 mm, 35.8%; > 40 mm, 49.1%). The right coronary artery (59.2%) was the most common intervention vessel followed by the left ascending artery (30.6%) and the left circumflex artery (10.2%). CTO accounted for 38% of all lesions, followed by distortions (28%), heavy calcification (24%), proximal stent thrombosis (9%), and coronary artery origin anomalies (1%). A total of 142 patients underwent successful PCI using the Guidezilla^TM extension catheter. The success rate was 86%. Conclusion: The Guidezilla^TM guide extension catheter was an effective and safe technique in the transradial treatment of complex coronary lesions. Use of the Guidezilla^TM guide extension catheter can shorten the procedure time and ensure overall procedural success with a reduced complication rate in cases where adequate progress using angioplasty devices has not been achieved.