PREPROCEDURE WARFARINIZATION AND BRACHIAL APPROACH FOR ELECTIVE CORONARY STENT PLACEMENT - A POSSIBLE STRATEGY TO DECREASE COST AND DURATION OF HOSPITALIZATION

Intracoronary stenting, while potentially beneficial to treat abrupt closure and to prevent restenosis after angioplasty, requires intermediate-term warfarinization to prevent stent thrombosis. Hospitalization is often prolonged because of the need to establish anticoagulation. Hospital charges have been reported to be considerably higher with stenting than with balloon angioplasty alone, although the long-term cost ramifications remain uncertain due to the fact that stenting may limit restenosis. We describe a technique wherein stent placement is performed while the patient is already partially anticoagulated, which may decrease costs associated with stenting.