Clinical experience with percutaneous brachial coronary angiography in a "Judkins" laboratory

More than 98% of coronary studies performed in our laboratory are done with the transfemoral approach. In this report, we review our experience with 67 cases in which we used the percutaneous brachial approach as an alternative for patients with peripheral vascular disease. Sixty-six cases (99%) were completed; one case (1%) was aborted due to cardiogenic shock. No death, stroke, or myocardial infarction occurred. Seven patients (10%) had minor complications; none required surgical intervention. The percutaneous brachial approach with standard preformed catheters offers a simple and satisfactory alternative to transfemoral coronary angiography.