Early outcome after placement of a metallic intracoronary stent: initial Mayo Clinic experience After percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, 3 to 7% of patients have in-hospital coronary closure, and the risk of subsequent myocardial infarction is high, even with an urgent bypass operation. Disrupted coronary morphologic integrity, particularly with large dissections, may be associated with an increased risk of acute coronary closure. A percutaneously placed coronary vascular stent may rapidly alleviate acute or threatened coronary closure and could reduce morbidity. Between October 1989 and June 1990, placement of a balloon-expandable, flexible metallic coil (Gianturco-Roubin) coronary stent was attempted 16 times in 15 Mayo Clinic patients--for treatment of actual or threatened abrupt coronary closure in 10 patients, for primary treatment of a lesion judged to be at high risk for dissection with conventional balloon angioplasty in 1, and for elective treatment of restenotic lesions in 5. Placement of the stent was successful in 15 attempts (94%). Associated complications, which were uncommon, were similar to those noted after balloon angioplasty. No early deaths occurred, and no patient required coronary artery bypass grafting. Stents were successfully placed in both urgent and elective circumstances in native coronary arteries and saphenous vein grafts, and they were used in primary atheromatous and restenotic lesions. Our initial experience with this metallic coil stent indicates that it is efficacious for vascular disruption that is threatening or causing coronary closure after angioplasty. Furthermore, elective placement of a stent may be safely undertaken in patients with high-risk coronary lesions or recurrent restenotic lesions. The long-term outcome in all groups of patients who receive coronary stents is unknown. 