Intraprocedural Acute Stent Thrombosis of Unusual Etiology.

Summary: Imagine having a tiny metal tube, called a stent, put into your heart's blood vessel to keep the blood flowing. Now imagine that suddenly, within minutes, the tube gets completely blocked! This is a very rare but dangerous problem. Doctors recently discovered that in two patients, this sudden blockage was caused by a surprising culprit: tiny pieces of cotton fuzz (lint) from the surgical drapes and tools used during the procedure. The fuzz accidentally got into the blood and clogged the stent. Thankfully, the doctors acted fast. They used a special vacuum to suck out the fuzz, gave medicine directly into the heart, and used a tiny balloon to open the blood vessel back up. Both patients recovered perfectly. This story is an important reminder for hospitals to always use lint-free materials to keep patients safe during heart procedures.