StarClose femoral arteriotomy closure device: an advance in arterial closure

Millions of femoral arterial punctures are performed annually worldwide for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease. Traditionally, hemostasis following arterial sheath removal has employed compression techniques but more recently, a number of arteriotomy closure devices have become available, none of which have been shown to produce an outcome superior to the standard technique of compression. The authors investigated a novel device, which utilizes a nitinol clip that gathers the artery from the outside producing a purse-string-like seal, with very promising results. The authors feel that this device has great potential, may impact significantly on the closure of arteriotomy sites and may also find application in other aspects of procedural medicine.