An overview of vascular closure devices: what every radiologist should know

Area of Science:

• Medical Devices
• Cardiovascular Surgery
• Interventional Radiology

Background:

• Haemostatic devices are crucial for managing bleeding during medical procedures.
• Vascular closure devices (VCDs) represent a significant advancement in endovascular procedure management.
• Existing VCDs are broadly classified into collagen plug, clip, and suture-based systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive review of currently available vascular closure devices (VCDs).
• To categorize VCDs based on their mechanism of action: collagen plug, clip, and suture closure.
• To highlight examples of commercially available devices within each VCD class.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of haemostatic devices and vascular closure technologies.
• Categorization of VCDs based on their primary closure mechanism.
• Identification and inclusion of representative commercially available devices for each category.

Main Results:

• Vascular closure devices (VCDs) are categorized into three main classes: collagen plug, clip, and suture closure.
• Each class of VCD utilizes distinct mechanisms to achieve haemostasis at the arteriotomy site.
• A range of commercial devices are available within each of the three VCD categories.

Conclusions:

• Vascular closure devices (VCDs) have revolutionized the management of endovascular procedures.
• Understanding the different classes of VCDs (collagen plug, clip, suture) is essential for effective clinical practice.
• This review offers insights into the diverse range of VCDs available to clinicians.