Use of the venture wire control catheter for the treatment of coronary artery chronic total occlusions

Background: The Venture catheter (St Jude, Minneapolis, MN) has a deflectable tip for facilitating wire steering and a stiff body. Both properties can be useful in percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) of coronary chronic total occlusions (CTOs). Methods: We reviewed 26 consecutive patients in whom the Venture catheter was utilized during coronary CTO PCI at our institution between May 2008 and September 2009. Results: Mean age was 63 ± 9 years and 96% of the patients were men. The CTO target lesion was located in the right coronary artery (35%), left anterior descending artery (27%), circumflex (27%) or a saphenous vein graft (4%). A prior attempt for CTO PCI had been done in 19%. The primary CTO PCI approach was antegrade in 92% and retrograde in 8%, but a retrograde approach was used in an additional 27% of the patients after antegrade approach failed. The Venture catheter was used to overcome vessel tortuosity (73%), for CTOs with side branch at the occlusion site (15%), to facilitate collateral branch wiring during retrograde PCI (8%), and to provide extra support (4%). The overall CTO PCI success rate was 77% and was 92% in patients with upfront Venture catheter use and in 64% of patients in whom the Venture was used after PCI attempts using other equipment failed. Procedural failure was due to inability to cross the lesion in all cases. Conclusions: The Venture catheter can facilitate CTO PCI, especially in patients with marked coronary tortuosity or when additional support is required. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.