Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 15, 2026

Upper-extremity Approach for Secondary Access in Transfemoral Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation
Published on: August 8, 2025
Short- and long-term outcomes of acute upper extremity arterial thromboembolism
Katsuaki Magishi1, Yuichi Izumi, Noriyuki Shimizu
1Deparment of Cardiovascular Surgery, Nayoro City General Hospital, Hokkaido, Nayoro, Japan.
Purpose:
To evaluate the short-/long-term outcomes after acute thromboembolism of the upper extremity.
Materials And Methods:
Twenty-one patients with acute arterial occlusion in the upper extremity were treated from January 1993 to July 2007 at our hospital. Their average age was 73.0, and 14 (66%) were male. The right and left limbs were affected in 15 cases (71%) and 6 cases (29%), respectively. The main associated disease was arrhythmia, in 20 cases (95%), including atrial fibrillation in 17 (81%). The time from onset to operation was 9.7 +/- 9.2 h (range: 2-41 h). All patients underwent thromboembolectomy with a Fogarty catheter.
Results:
The symptoms showed regression in all cases after operation, but one patient died from cerebral infarction the following day. Anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapies are commonly prescribed in cases after thromboembolectomy. The free rates of thromboembolism were 74% and 27%, and cumulative actuarial survival rates were 95% and 61% at 1 and 3 years, respectively.
Conclusion:
Because of the high recurrence rates of thromboembolism, it seems necessary to severe anticoagulant therapy. Upper extremity thromboembolism should also be considered as one manifestation of a systemic embolism.
Related Concept Videos
Peripheral Artery Disease V: Postoperative Nursing Management
Venous Thrombosis III: Interprofessional Care
Arteries of the Upper Limbs
Peripheral Arterial Disease II: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnostic Evaluation
Pulmonary Embolism II: Diagnostic Studies and Interprofessional Care
Peripheral Artery Disease III: Interprofessional Care

