Pathologic Findings of Coronary Stents: A Comparison of Sudden Coronary Death Versus Non-cardiac Death

• NCJ Number: 246243
• Journal: Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 58 Issue: 6 Dated: November 2013 Pages: 1542-1548
• Author(s): Erik Mont M.D.; Nathaniel Cresswell M.S.; Allen Burke M.D.
• Date Published: November 2013
• Length: 7 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

There are few histologic studies of intracoronary stents found at autopsy.

Abstract

There are few histologic studies of intracoronary stents found at autopsy. We studied histologic findings of 87 intracoronary stents from 45 autopsy hearts. There were 40 patients with chronically implanted stents and five shorter than 30 days. Of five patients with recent stent placement, the cause of death was related to the stent in-stent thrombosis in one case. Of the 40 patients with chronic stents, there were 16 sudden coronary deaths and 24 noncoronary deaths controls. There were no late stent thromboses in the coronary deaths. In the coronary deaths, 26% of stents showed restenosis versus 11% in controls p = 0.1. The rate of healed infarcts and cardiomegaly was similar in the coronary and noncoronary groups, and acute thrombi in native arteries were seen only in three hearts in the coronary group. We conclude that the cause of death is rarely impacted by in-stent findings at autopsy, especially in chronically implanted stents. Abstract published by arrangement with Wiley.