Stent-based ventricle-to-coronary artery bypass (VSTENT) has been shown experimentally to provide systolic instead of physiological diastolic blood flow directly from the left ventricle to a coronary artery distal to a high-grade stenosis. We report on the first successful surgical implantation of a VSTENT in a patient with coronary artery disease. At 3-month follow-up, the VSTENT was patent and showed sufficient regional blood flow at rest with a significant flow reserve. In addition, the patient was asymptomatic during exercise testing. Though encouraging, these observations have to be confirmed and are the subject of an ongoing multicenter study.
Copyright 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.