Five-year experience with transradial coronary angioplasty in ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction

Zoltán Ruzsa1, Imre Ungi, Tamás Horváth

  • 1Division of Invasive Cardiology, Second Department of Medicine and Cardiology Center, Medical Faculty, Albert-Szent-Györgyi Clinical Center, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary.

Insights

Transradial percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is a safe and effective treatment for ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), with fewer access-site complications compared to transfemoral PCI.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Interventional Cardiology
  • Vascular Access

Background:

  • Transradial approach (TRA) is an alternative to transfemoral approach (TFA) for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).
  • Feasibility of TRA in emergency settings like ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare outcomes and complication rates of transradial (TR) versus transfemoral (TF) PCI in STEMI patients.
  • To evaluate the safety and efficacy of TR access in STEMI treatment.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective study of 539 STEMI patients undergoing PCI (2001-2006).
  • Patients categorized into TR group (n=167) and TF group (n=372).
  • Evaluated parameters included access-site crossover, complications, procedure time, fluoroscopy time, X-ray dose, major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at 1 month, and equipment consumption.

Main Results:

  • TR group had a 5% crossover rate to femoral access, significantly higher than the TF group (0.8%).
  • TR group showed significantly lower rates of major (0% vs. 5%) and minor (4% vs. 9%) access-site complications.
  • Major adverse cardiac events (MACE) rate was significantly lower in the TR group (4%) compared to the TF group (11%).

Conclusions:

  • Transradial approach is a safe and effective method for treating STEMI.
  • TRA is associated with a lower incidence of access-site related complications compared to TFA.
Abstract