There are over one million percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) performed each year in the United States. PCI refers to catheter- based procedures that allow for improved perfusion through epicardial coronary arteries to the myocardium. PCI originally referred to percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, a solely balloon-based procedure, but has since expanded to include directional, rotational, orbital and extraction atherectomy, excimer laser angioplasty, and most commonly, stent deployment. The devices used for PCI are meant to relieve coronary stenoses by several mechanisms including fracturing or debulking the atherosclerotic plaque and stretching the target arterial segment. PCI is successful in reducing fatal and nonfatal ischemic complications in patients with acute myocardial infarction and high-risk acute coronary syndromes.