Cardiac catheter: diagnostics and intervention via radial access: Standards and technique

Abstract

Using the radial approach for coronary angiography and interventions results in faster mobilization and early discharge of patients compared to femoral access. Due to the superficial position of the radial artery, puncture and compression is easy and significantly reduces bleeding complications. In patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction and intensive anticoagulation therapy, radial access improves outcome, leading to a class IA recommendation of the recent European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines. Preprocedural preparation, puncture, cannulation, catheter choice and handling differ only slightly from the femoral approach. After a short learning curve and with regular implementation of radial access, possible drawbacks, such as vasospasm, radiation exposure and radial occlusion are negligible. This article provides recommendations, standards and techniques for a safe cardiovascular intervention via radial access.