REVIEW   

Minerva Cardiology and Angiology 2021 October;69(5):557-78

DOI: 10.23736/S2724-5683.20.05391-8

Copyright © 2020 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Transradial artery access for percutaneous cardiovascular procedures: state of the art and future directions

Michele BELLAMOLI ¹, Gabriele VENTURI ¹, Michele PIGHI ¹, Andrea PACCHIONI ² ✉

¹ Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy; ² Department of Cardiology, Civil Hospital, Mirano, Venice, Italy

The transradial access (TRA) for cardiac catheterization and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has been widely adopted in the last decades since its first description in the late 40s. The transradial approach has been associated with favorable outcomes as compared with transfemoral access (TFA) in several registries and randomized clinical trials, mainly due to the lower incidence of access-site bleedings, vascular complications and improved patient comfort. This review aimed to summarize the body of evidence supporting the use of TRA, to discuss clinical implications, possible technical limitations and future directions, such as the implementation of TRA as the primary access for complex procedures and structural interventions.

KEY WORDS: Percutaneous coronary intervention; Radial artery; Review