Thrombus aspiration in acute myocardial infarction.

A 57 yr-old man suffered an in-hospital inferior myocardial infarction 9 yr following coronary artery bypass surgery. Emergency cardiac catheterization demonstrated a large, occlusive thrombus in the saphenous vein graft to the right coronary artery. Multiple balloon dilitations failed to lyse the thrombus. A guiding catheter was used to aspirate the thrombus from the graft and there was immediate pain relief.