Usefulness of embolic protection devices during saphenous vein graft intervention in a nonselected population.

Distal embolic protection devices have been shown to reduce the risk of peri-procedural complications associated with saphenous vein graft intervention. However, there are several important anatomic limitations that may preclude routine device use. We analyzed the angiograms of 624 consecutive saphenous vein graft interventions to determine eligibility for use of a proximal or distal embolic protection system. Overall, 483 (77%) of cases had anatomic and lesion characteristics suitable for an embolic protection device, including 59% eligible for proximal protection and 57% for distal protection.