Transradial Catheterization

Non-Invasive Cardiovascular Testing | Invasive Cardiac Procedures

Your SPCVA may recommend a cardiac catheterization to you. This is a minimally invasive procedure to get definitive anatomic and physiologic information about the heart and the coronary arteries. Historically, and presently in the USA, up to 90% of all cardiac catheterizations are done via the transfemoral approach (via catheters placed in the groin). The transfemoral approach carries risks of damage to the arteries of the groin, bleeding and bruising complications, risk of exposure to need for blood transfusions, and equally importantly is patient discomfort. There is however an alternative approach for these procedures via accessing the artery in the wrist, called the Transradial approach. Today, only 10% of cases in the USA are done this way, while up to 80-90% of cases in other parts of the world use this approach.

 Medical research concludes that the transradial approach is not only more comfortable for patients, but more importantly is safer as there is virtually no risk of vascular damage, markedly lower risk of bleeding, and nearly eliminating the need for transfusions.

SPCVA interventional cardiologists were among the first in the community to use the transradial approach for nearly 100% of their cases whenever feasible – including emergencies and high risk procedures. This is another example of SPCVA physicians staying ahead of the curve, implementing cutting edge approaches to improve our patients’ outcomes.

EDUCATIONAL VIDEO LIBRARY