Safety and Efficacy of Radial Artery Access for Peripheral Vascular Intervention: A Single-Center Experience

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Radial artery (RA) access has been increasingly utilized for coronary procedures due to lower rates of access-site complications and improved patient satisfaction. However, limited data are available for RA access for peripheral vascular intervention (PVI). We performed a retrospective review of 143 patients who underwent PVI via RA access from February 2020 to September 2022 at a single institution. Baseline characteristics and follow-up data were ascertained from a prospectively maintained institutional database. Of 491 PVI, 156 (31.8%) were performed through the RA. Anatomical location for intervention were the femoral (44.8%), iliac (31.1%), popliteal (9.6%) peroneal (2.7%), tibial (9.9%), and subclavian (1.9%) arteries. Procedural access was obtained through the right RA (92.9%), left RA (4.5%), or right ulnar artery (2.6%) using the 6 French R2P Destination Slender sheath in 85 cm, 105 cm, and 119 cm lengths. Atherectomy was used in 34.7%. Mean contrast volume was 105.5 mL and the average fluoroscopy time was 18.5 minutes. Conversion to femoral access occurred in 3 cases (1.9%) due to arterial spasm and non-crossable lesions. Concomitant pedal access occurred in 2 cases (1.3%). Periprocedural complication rate was 3.84%, of which access-site hematoma was most common (3.2%); none required blood transfusion, surgical intervention, or additional hospital stay. There was 1 case (0.64%) of in-hospital stroke. The mortality rate at 30-day, 6-month, and 1-year was 1.4%, 2.8%, and 4.2%, respectively. In conclusion, RA access is feasible for diverse PVI, and future studies are needed to assess safety and benefit compared to femoral artery access.