Coronary artery spasm following aortic valve replacement.

The authors present a clinical case of coronary artery spasm in a 62-year-old woman undergoing elective aortic valve replacement surgery for aortic regurgitation. On admission at ICU, the patient developed marked hemodynamic and electrical instability. Emergent coronary angiography demonstrated a pronounced spasm of the distal portion of the right coronary artery, apparently related to compression of this vessel by a chest drain tube.