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BackgroundInterventional cardiology produced level 1 evidence recommending radial artery-first for coronary angiography given lower vascular complications. Neuroendovascular surgeons have not widely adopted the transradial approach. This prospective, single center, non-inferiority comparative effectiveness study aims to compare the transradial and transfemoral approaches for diagnostic cerebral angiography with respect to efficacy, safety and patient satisfaction.MethodsConsecutive patients presenting for diagnostic cerebral angiography were selected to undergo right radial or femoral access based on date of presentation. Primary outcome was ability to answer the predefined diagnostic goal of the cerebral angiogram using the initial access site and was assessed with a non-inferiority design. Secondary outcomes included technical success per vessel, complications, procedure times and patient satisfaction.ResultsA total of 312 patients were enrolled, 158 and 154 for right radial and femoral access, respectively. The diagnostic goal of the angiogram was achieved in 152 of 154 (99%) patients who underwent attempted femoral access compared with 153 of 158 (97%) patients who underwent radial access, confirming non-inferiority of the transradial approach. Secondary outcomes showed equivalent technical success by vessel, no major complications, and similar frequency of minor complications between the two approaches. In-room time was similar between approaches, though post-procedure recovery room time was significantly shorter for transradial patients. Patient satisfaction results significantly favored the radial approach.ConclusionsIn patients undergoing diagnostic cerebral angiography, transfemoral and transradial access achieve procedural goals with similar effectiveness and safety, though patients strongly prefer the radial approach. Findings support consideration of adopting a radial-first strategy for diagnostic cerebral angiography.

Background and Objectives: Radial artery spasm (RAS) is a frequent complication during invasive angiography using the transradial approach, leading to patient discomfort and procedural challenges. While intra-arterial nitroglycerine (NTG) effectively reduces RAS after sheath insertion, preprocedural prevention strategies are limited. This study evaluates the efficacy of topical NTG in improving radial artery puncture success and reducing RAS incidence. Materials and Methods: In a randomized, double-blind single-center study 100 patients undergoing angiography were pretreated with either topical NTG or placebo. Outcomes assessed included RAS incidence, radial artery puncture success, number of attempts, procedural duration, patient discomfort, and complications. RAS was evaluated angiographically and clinically, with additional subgroup analyses for diabetic and smoking patients. Results: Topical NTG significantly reduced RAS incidence (53.2% vs. 73.6%; p = 0.0349) and increased radial puncture success on the first attempt (89.4% vs. 77.4%; p = 0.0488). Diabetic patients particularly benefited from NTG application, with lower RAS rates (36.4% vs. 76.2%; p = 0.0296). No significant differences were observed in procedural duration, patient discomfort, or complication rates between groups. The placebo group demonstrated a higher incidence of diffuse RAS (p = 0.0109). Conclusions: Preprocedural topical NTG application is a safe, non-invasive intervention that improves radial artery access success and reduces RAS, especially in high-risk subgroups such as diabetics. These findings support its potential as a procedural optimization tool in cardiovascular interventions, particularly in patients with heart failure, who often require repeated and reliable vascular access.

Background The distal transradial access (dTRA) has become an attractive and alternative access to the conventional transradial access (TRA) for cardiovascular interventional diagnosis and/or treatment. There was a lack of randomized clinical trials to evaluate the effect of the dTRA on the long-term radial artery occlusion (RAO). Methods This was a prospective, randomized controlled study. The primary endpoint was the incidence of long-term RAO at 3 months after discharge. The secondary endpoints included the successful puncture rate, puncture time, and other access-related complications. Results The incidence of long-term RAO was 0.8% (3/361) for dTRA and 3.3% (12/365) for TRA (risk ratio = 0.25, 95% confidence interval = 0.07–0.88, P  = 0.02). The incidence of RAO at 24 h was significantly lower in the dTRA group than in the TRA group (2.5% vs. 6.7%, P  < 0.01). The puncture success rate (96.0% vs. 98.5%, P  = 0.03) and single puncture attempt (70.9% vs. 83.9%, P  < 0.01) were significantly lower in the dTRA group than in the TRA group. However, the number of puncture attempts and puncture time were higher in the dTRA group. The dTRA group had a lower incidence of bleeding than the TRA group (1.5% vs. 6.0%, P  < 0.01). There was no difference in the success rate of the procedure, total fluoroscopy time, or incidence of other access-related complications between the two groups. In the per-protocol analysis, the incidence of mEASY type ≥ II haematoma was significantly lower in the dTRA group, which was consistent with that in the as-treated analysis. Conclusions The dTRA significantly reduced the incidence of long-term RAO, bleeding or haematoma. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifer: NCT05253820.

Previous studies suggested only the radial artery and the No-touch (NT) technique were effective in reducing graft occlusion after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. However, there is no randomized trial comparing these 2 graft conduits. The optimum second conduit for CABG remains undetermined. This study is a prospective, single-center randomized clinical trial, aiming to compare the graft patency between the radial artery and the NT vein graft. All patients undergoing isolated CABG with left internal mammary artery (LIMA) plus at least 2 additional grafts will be considered eligible. About 774 cases (516 in the radial artery group and 258 in the NT vein group) will be enrolled in over 1 to 2 years. Participants will be randomized and allocated to two bypass strategies: the LIMA plus 1 radial artery and 1 conventional vein graft, or the LIMA plus 2 NT vein grafts. The primary outcome is graft occlusion at 1 year after CABG evaluated by CT angiography. The secondary outcomes include graft occlusion at 3 and 5 years and major adverse cardiac or cerebrovascular events at 1, 3, and 5 years follow-ups. This study will define whether or not the NT vein has a lower graft occlusion rate than the radial artery in short and mid-term follow-ups, and provide new evidence for the second conduit choice in CABG surgery. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06014047. Registered on October 15th, 2023.

Background Compared with conventional transradial access (TRA), distal radial access (DRA) is rarely used for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and may be beneficial to prevent radial artery occlusion (RAO). We aimed to evaluate the incidence of RAO between DRA and TRA 24 h after primary PCI in patients with STEMI. Methods This is a single-center, open-label, prospective, randomized controlled trial conducted at Beijing Luhe Hospital, China, between January 2022 and July 2023. Five hundred and twenty patients (mean age: 61.3 ± 13.0 years; 81% male) with STEMI were randomly assigned to the DRA ( n  = 260) or TRA ( n  = 260) group. Primary PCI was performed using the radial artery access assigned study group. The primary endpoint was the rate of RAO assessed using Doppler ultrasound 24 h after primary PCI. Secondary outcomes included time taken for sheath insertion, access success rate, hemostasis time, fluoroscopy time, radiation dosage, and access-related complications. Results The incidence of RAO was significantly lower in the DRA group than that in the TRA group (1.9% vs. 8.5%, P  = 0.001). Access was successful in 94.6% of patients, and the crossover rate was 5.4% in both groups. The median time taken for sheath insertion was significantly longer (133 s vs. 114 s, P  = 0.009), whereas the mean hemostasis time was shorter (209 ± 71 min vs. 372 ± 70 min, P  < 0.001) in the DRA group. The incidence of modified Early Discharge After Transradial Stenting of Coronary Arteries (mEASY) ≥ II hematoma was lower in the DRA group (0.8% vs. 3.5%, P  = 0.033). However, there was no significant difference in fluoroscopy time, radiation dosage, or access-related complications. Conclusions In patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI, compared with TRA, DRA prevented RAO 24 h postoperatively and was associated with shorter hemostasis time and a lower incidence of mEASY ≥ II hematoma. Trial registration Clinical Trials.gov Identifier: NCT05461781.

The red cell width distribution to albumin ratio (RAR) has recently been linked to various cardiovascular diseases. Radial artery occlusion (RAO) is a critical complication in patients undergoing coronary angiograph or percutaneous coronary intervention (CAG/PCI) via conventional transradial access (cTRA). However, the relationship between RAR and RAO remains unclear. This study investigates the association between RAR with the risk of early RAO. We retrospectively analyzed data from 389 participants in the CONDITION study. Participants underwent CAG/PCI via cTRA access and were divided into two groups based on the optimal cutoff value of RAR from receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Multivariate logistic regression and restricted cubic spline (RCS) analyses were performed to explore the association between RAR and RAO. A total of 26 participants (6.6%) developed early RAO as confirmed by ultrasonography. Patients with higher RAR levels had a significant higher prevalence of RAO. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that elevated RAR levels were associated with an increased risk of RAO (OR: 3.673, 95% CI 1.566–8.615, P  = 0.003). Moreover, a larger preoperative radial artery inner diameter was significantly protective against RAO (OR 0.299, 95% CI 0.109–0.846, P  = 0.020). RCS analysis revealed a linear relationship between RAR and the risk of RAO. The current study showed a significant positive association between RAR and early RAO in individuals undergoing CAG/ PCI via cTRA. These findings highlight the importance of preoperative RAR assessment in identifying high-risk individuals for RAO.

BackgroundThere is little consensus on endovascular treatment for symptomatic intracranial posterior circulation stenosis via the transradial approach (TRA). We report our multicenter experience and technical procedures that directly used a distal access catheter (DAC) via TRA for the treatment of symptomatic intracranial vertebral (VA) and basilar (BA) artery stenosis.MethodsFrom January 2019 to December 2020, 92 consecutive patients with severe symptomatic intracranial VA or BA stenosis were retrospectively collected and divided into two groups (TRA group and transfemoral approach (TFA) group) for neurointerventional treatment. The percentages of catheters reaching the V3/V4 segment of the VA and technical success, postoperative care conditions, preoperative outcomes and complications, long term clinical outcomes, and imaging follow-ups were observed.ResultsThe catheter, CAT 5, reached the V4 segment of the VA in 37 TRA patients (88.1%). The duration of the procedure was significantly shorter in the TRA group than in the TFA group (median 48.0 min vs 55.5 min, p=0.037). More patients in the TRA group could walk within 2 hours after the procedure (85.7% vs 10.0%, p=0.000), and the duration of retaining catheterization in the TRA group was shorter (3.0±1.2 hours vs 11.7±5.6 hours, p=0.000).ConclusionThis study demonstrates the potential feasibility and safety of using a DAC via the TRA without guiding support for the treatment of symptomatic intracranial VA and BA stenosis. The TRA demonstrated some advantages over the standard TFA in terms of patient comfort. Further randomized controlled trials comparing the TRA and TFA for posterior circulation stenosis are needed.

Puncture-induced radial artery spasm (RAS) may extend the duration of coronary an-giography (CAG) or cause transradial access failure. Flow-mediated dilatation (FMD), a widely-used noninvasive approach for assessing endothelial function, was reported to remove the entrapped radial sheath after percutaneous coronary intervention. Herein, the efficacy and safety of FMD in treating puncture-induced RAS before transradial CAG was investigated. Ninety patients with puncture-induced RAS were randomized in a 1:1:1 ratio into three groups: FMD group was immediately treated with blockage of brachial artery blood for 5 min using a sphygmomanometric cuff and then rapid relief; nitroglycerin (NTG) group was administered with 0.5 mg sublingual NTG instantly; and the no-therapy group was treated with a wait-and-watch strategy. The time of radial pulse recovery, and regional and systemic complications were recorded. The rate of radial pulse recovery within 30 min in FMD group was significantly higher than that in no-therapy group (97% vs. 73%, p = 0.026). The median time to return of radial pulse in FMD group and NTG group was significantly shorter than that in no-therapy group (7 [6.5-9] min vs. 15 [12-18] min, 8 [7-9] min vs. 15 [12-18] min, respectively; both p < 0.001). Headache and decreased blood pressure were more prevalent in NTG group than those in FMD and no-therapy groups. FMD is a feasible, noninvasive and nonpharmacological approach to relieve RAS and facilitate radial artery cannulation after an initial failed attempt. (Cardiol J 2018; 25, 1: 1-6).

Background. Despite the enormous benefits of radial access, this route is associated with a risk of radial artery occlusion (RAO). Objective. We compared the incidence of RAO in patients undergoing transradial coronary angiography and intervention after short versus prolonged hemostasis protocol. Also we assessed the efficacy of rescue 1-hour ipsilateral ulnar artery compression if RAO was observed after hemostasis. Material and Methods. Patients referred for elective transradial coronary procedures were eligible. After 6 F radial sheath removal, patients were randomized to short (3 hours) (n = 495) or prolonged (8 hours) (n = 503) hemostasis and a simple bandage was placed over the puncture site. After hemostasis was completed, oximetry plethysmography was used to assess the patency of the radial artery. Results. One thousand patients were randomized. Baseline characteristics were similar between both groups with average age 61.4 ± 9.4 years (71% male) and PCI performed on half of the patients. The RAO rate immediately after hemostasis was 3.2% in the short hemostasis group and 10.1% in the prolonged group (p<0.001). Rescue recanalization was successful only in the short group in 56.2% (11/19); at hospital discharge, RAO rates were 1.4% in the short group and 10.1% in the prolonged group (p<0.001). Conclusion. Shorter hemostasis was associated with significantly less RAO compared to prolonged hemostasis. Rescue radial artery recanalization was effective in > 50%, but only in the short hemostasis group.

Radial artery occlusion (RAO) is a relatively common but benign complication following transradial endovascular approaches. Radial artery thrombectomy offers a potential strategy for re-access. Transradial access in the occluded vessel has been described as safe and feasible in recent literature; however, the step-by-step technical details have not been defined. This illustrative case highlights the technique developed at this institution, which has been performed in 7 consecutive patients. A middle-aged woman underwent initial diagnostic cerebral angiogram and balloon-occlusion test for tumor resection planning. Subsequently, the patient returned to for tumor embolization and was found to have RAO. Radial artery mechanical thrombectomy was performed, and this access was safely used for the embolization procedure. This report provides a technical description with illustrations for this approach in the setting of an acute occlusion following prior radial artery catheterizations. Recanalization of an acutely occluded radial artery is feasible and safe in our institutional experience.