Pronto catheter thrombectomy in acute ST-segment myocardial infarction: a case series.

Primary angioplasty has emerged as the treatment of choice in acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction. While the timely restoration of infarct artery patency is central, close attention needs to be paid to microvascular integrity for successful restoration of normal myocardial metabolism. Clearance of thrombus burden is central to restoring normal myocardial metabolism. Available therapies do not efficiently remove thrombus in a timely and simple fashion. Microthrombi can be treated with appropriate pharmacological therapy, whereas larger macrothrombi should be treated with commercially available thrombectomy devices. In these case reports, the use of the Pronto (Vascular Solutions, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota) catheter is described as a quick, simple, and timely tool for the management of thrombus in the setting of an acute right coronary artery myocardial infarction.