Transulnar Catheterization Research Articles

Transulnar Catheterization in Patients with Failed Ipsilateral Transradial Access: Novel TR Band Modification for Dual-Site Hemostasis

ObjectivesThis study investigated the feasibility and safety of transulnar access (TUA) and efficacy of novel TR band modification for dual site hemostasis in patients with failed ipsilateral transradial approach. BackgroundFailed transradial access requires cross over to alternative access site. There is paucity of data on feasibility and safety of ipsilateral TUA due to concern of potential risk of hand ischemia. MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed ten patients who underwent coronary angiography and intervention via ulnar artery in the setting of failed ipsilateral transradial access. Patent hemostasis for both ulnar and radial arteries was achieved with novel modification of the TR band to compress both arteries at the same level of puncture sites. ResultsTUA after failed ipsilateral transradial access was successful in all ten cases. All patients were followed within 7 days and there were no adverse complications such as ulnar artery occlusion, nerve injury, or hand ischemia. ConclusionTUA maybe a safe and viable option when cross over is necessary from failed ipsilateral transradial access. Modification of the TR band for both radial and ulnar access site can achieve patent hemostasis effectively at the level of both puncture sites.

All Roads Lead to the Heart: A Case of Transulnar Approach for Coronary Catheterization in a Patient with Limited Access Routes

Introduction: In a time of increasing use of forearm arterial access in cardiac catheterization, the reported use of the ulnar artery remains low. However, in the patient population with heavy cardiovascular disease burden, it is not uncommon to have patients requiring either multiple catheterizations, future coronary bypass, or other additional procedures which may compromise arterial anatomy. Previously thought to require longer access time, several large meta analyses have shown comparable access time and failure rates to radial access. Case presentation: We present a case of a 51-year-old male who underwent successful transulnar access for cardiac catheterization in the post-bypass setting with limited arterial access points. Presenting with an eight-month history of angina and positive stress test, he was found to have multivessel disease on initial catheterization. He underwent four vessel bypass using LIMA, RIMA, left radial artery, and left great saphenous vein. On post-op day two, he went into cardiac arrest requiring CPR and multiple vasopressors. He was subsequently placed on venoarterial ECMO with arterial access at his right femoral artery after failed access on his left femoral artery. With a new drop in ejection fraction, he returned to the lab for right and left catheterization. With recent failed L femoral access, ongoing use of R femoral artery for ECMO, harvest of L radial for bypass, and a failed Allen’s test on his R radial, the decision was made to use the R ulnar artery. Arterial access was successful, and PCI was performed on a severely stenotic lesion of the distal RCA. Ejection fraction returned to 55-60%, and he was weaned off ECMO. Discussion: This case demonstrates opportunity for transulnar catheterization and reviews literature demonstrating comparable outcomes to radial access.

Trans-ulnar catheterization and coronary interventions: From technique to outcomes.

The ulnar artery is similar in size to the radial artery, however it is more difficult to palpate and access. For those physicians who mastered trans-ulnar access (TUA) this access site serves as an alternative to trans radial access (TRA) when the radial artery access is rendered suboptimal (by palpation, ultrasound examination or previous procedural records) or when encountering TRA difficulties or failure. The manuscript describes the anatomy, suggested technique, procedural success and complications associated with TUA. Data from single center registries and randomized studies show that TUA has a lower and more variable success rate than TRA, however these 2 approaches carry similar safety profile and complications rates. The authors suggest that interventionalists should consider, learn and master TUA to maintain higher success rate of wrist based interventions while avoiding the potential complications, discomfort and costs of trans-femoral approach.

Feasibility and Safety of Transulnar Catheterization in Ipsilateral Radial Artery Occlusion.

To investigate the postprocedural cardiovascular events and vascular outcomes, including hand ischemia and neurological compromise, after transulnar (TU) catheterization in ipsilateral radial artery occlusion.Previous randomized trials have shown that the transulnar (TU) approach for coronary angiogram and intervention has safety and outcomes similar to those of the transradial (TR) approach. However, the safety of the TU procedure when ipsilateral radial artery occlusion occurs is unknown.We retrospectively reviewed 87 TU cases with ipsilateral radial artery occlusion confirmed by a forearm angiogram. Eighty percent of these patients had a history of ipsilateral radial artery cannulation or surgery. We avoided the use of over-sized sheaths or applied a sheathless approach during surgery.No ulnar artery occlusion was observed by subsequent Doppler ultrasound or pulse oximetry. No patient developed hand ischemia or serious complications requiring surgery or blood transfusion during the follow-up period of 32.2 ± 24.0 months. Review of the preprocedural forearm angiograms showed that 95.7% of the patients possessed significant collaterals supplying flow from the interosseous artery to the occluded radial artery remnant. Thus, the blood circulation to the palmar arch and digital vessels was maintained even when the ulnar artery was temporarily occluded by an in-dwelling ulnar arterial sheath.TU catheterization was safe in patients with coexisting ipsilateral radial artery occlusions and feasible for use in complex intervention procedures. Cautious manipulation of ulnar artery cannulation and hemostasis helped decrease the risk of hand ischemia.

Evaluation of anatomy and variations of superficial palmar arch and upper extremity arteries with CT angiography.

To evaluate the abnormalities and variations of the arterial system of upper extremities and superficial palmar arch with computed tomography angiography and to guide the clinician during this procedure. A total of 156 upper extremities of 78 cases were retrospectively analyzed using computed tomography angiography. The study was approved by the local ethics committee of the hospital. From the analysis of the computed tomography angiography images, the following information was recorded; the diameters and abnormalities of radial, ulnar and brachial arteries in both upper extremities, the presence of atherosclerotic changes or stenosis in these arteries, whether the superficial palmar arch was complete or incomplete, and arterial dominance. Also, the computed tomography angiography classification of superficial palmar arch distribution and anatomic configuration was performed. The mean baseline diameters of the radial, ulnar and brachial arteries of the cases were; 2.8±0.6, 2.5±0.7, and 4.7±0.6mm, respectively. A complete superficial palmar arch was observed in 69.2% of the right hands and 70.5% of the left hands. For the superficial palmar arches on the right side, the radial artery was dominant in two and the ulnar artery was dominant in 47 with the remaining showing codominance. On the left side, the radial artery was dominant in one hand, with the ulnar artery being dominant in 49 cases, and in 28 cases, there was codominance. In the superficial palmar arch classification, four of the arches (A-D) were defined as complete and the remaining three (E-G) as incomplete. The current study clarified different variations in palmar circulation and forearm arteries to aid the surgeon during trans-radial or trans-ulnar catheterization, hemodialysis, or coronary artery bypass grafting.

Neurovascular Complications of the Upper Extremity Following Cardiovascular Procedures.

Cardiovascular procedures are common and are trending toward endovascular interventions. With this increase in endovascular procedures, there is also increasing awareness of upper extremity morbidity resulting from treatment. Articles indexed within PubMed between the years 1975 and 2015 that discussed such complications were reviewed. Percutaneous radial artery access can lead to nerve ischemia, especially in the setting of an incomplete arterial arch, whereas radial artery harvesting for bypass surgery more commonly causes frank tissue ischemia and radial neuropathy. Transulnar catheterization may cause ischemic hand injuries, while transbrachial angiography has resulted in compartment syndrome. Injuries to the nerves themselves often result from surgical equipment, such as sternal retractors, or from patient positioning leading to compression of the ulnar nerve. For percutaneous radial artery access, the incidence of ischemic injury is as high as 24%, whereas nerve injury is too rare to be estimated. In the setting of radial artery harvesting, ischemic injury is limited to case reports, and radial neuropathy is estimated to occur in as many as 25% of patients at discharge. Open heart surgery is the primary setting in which equipment or patient positioning plays a role, affecting 10% of patients with brachial plexus injuries and 15% with ulnar neuropathies. Complications following cardiovascular interventions are varied and are typically associated with specific procedures. Careful preoperative and postoperative assessments of patients may aid in preventing, minimizing, and treating these often undiagnosed complications.

Safety and feasibility of transulnar catheterization when ipsilateral radial access is not available

We evaluated the safety and feasibility of transulnar approach when ipsilateral radial access was not available. From March 2011 until February 2013, 476 consecutive patients who underwent transulnar catheterization were included in a single center prospective registry of effectiveness and safety. Diagnostic coronary angiography accounted for 42% of cases, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for 38%, and 17% underwent carotid artery stenting. A subgroup analysis was done in 240 patients with documented ipsilateral radial artery occlusion (RAO). Procedural success was 97% with a crossover rate of 3% to transfemoral access. Hand ischemia was not observed in any patient on day 1 after procedure and on 1 month follow-up. None of the patients showed ulnar nerve injury. Two patients developed major forearm hematoma that resolved without clinical consequences. Minor access site hematoma occurred in 8%. Severe clinical spasm occurred in two patients. Asymptomatic ulnar artery occlusion at 1 month follow-up was detected in 3.1%. There was no difference between patients with or without RAO in terms of procedural success and any vascular complication. Transulnar approach is safe and feasible alternative wrist access when performed by experienced radial operators, providing high success rate and low incidence of vascular complications.

Transulnar catheterization in patients with ipsilateral radial artery occlusion

The transradial approach to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has recently gained popularity among interventionalists. However, radial artery occlusion (RAO) limits the ability for repeat catheterization. In current practice, transulnar catheterization is thought to be a contraindication in patients with ipsilateral RAO. Seventeen consecutive patients undergoing transulnar catheterization and PCI were reviewed. Each of the patients had clinical follow-up post-procedure at days 1, 7, and 30. We successfully performed 17 ulnar catheterizations in patients with ipsilateral RAO. All patents were subsequently found to have adequate collaterals from the anterior interosseous branch. One patient developed ulnar artery spasm and another patient developed a forearm hematoma. Overall, no patient suffered any ulnar nerve injury. The ulnar artery was patent both by palpation and by the presence of an adequate plethysmographic signal during follow-up at days 1, 7, and 30. No patients developed with any signs or symptoms of hand ischemia during follow-up. In patients with RAO, ipsilateral transulnar catheterization may not be an absolute contraindication. Our results suggest that extensive collaterals from the anterior interosseous artery may be the reason for protection against hand ischemia in the setting of RAO.

Accessory brachial artery: a case report, embryological background and clinical relevance

Abstract Background: The accessory brachial artery (arteria brachialis accessoria) is a rare upper limb vascular abnormality, reported in less than one percent of cases. It is the artery originating from the axillary artery or the brachial artery, which rejoins the brachial artery further along its distal course within the arm or cubital fossa. Its detailed knowledge is necessary in transradial transulnar catheterization during coronary procedures, mainly due to its narrow caliber, which is responsible for the failure of the intervention performance. Objectives: Present a case of uncharacteristic branching pattern of the accessory brachial artery. Method: The case was observed during a routine dissection in the left axilla of a female cadaver at the Department of Anatomy at the Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague. Results: The infrapectoral part of the axillary artery gave rise to a branch that descended distally along the medial side of the arm. This artery accompanied firstly the ulnar nerve, then it diverted laterally towards the median nerve and coursed hidden behind it to re-enter the brachial artery within the distal part of the arm, next to the biceps brachii muscle. The calibre of the accessory brachial artery was two mm only. Conclusion: The accessory brachial artery is a rare variant of the upper limb vascular system and its prevailingly narrow lumen can cause a failure of the transradial/transulnar catheterization intervention.

AS-242: Indication for Transulnar Catheterization: Disability of Radial Artery Access

AS-242: Indication for Transulnar Catheterization: Disability of Radial Artery Access