Clinical application of a new palmaz‐schatz coronary stent delivery system with a short (8 mm) nonarticulated stent

Abstract
The standard Palmaz‐Schatz coronary stent delivery system (SDS), with a 15 mm articulated stent and a 5F protective sheath, is relatively rigid and high in profile. Its use is contraindicated in vessels where there is severe tortuosity proximal to or in the lesion itself. Recently a new SDS, with a short (8 mm) nonarticulated stent, has become available. We present three patients with complex coronary anatomy solved with this new SDS. The first patient had a distal stenosis in an extremely tortuous and diffusely diseased right coronary artery (RCA). The second patient had a severe proximal RCA stenosis occurring at a bend of more than 90 degrees. The third patient had a very long stenosis of the left anterior descending coronary artery involving the ostium, requiring multiple tandem stenting. The availability of this short stent will greatly expand the clinical application of intracoronary stenting to patients with complex coronary anatomy.