Targeting transradial approach

Radial access for percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) emerged as a valid alternative to the standard femoral access with the aim of reduce the incidence of access-site bleeding and consequently improve clinical outcomes. Access-site bleeding is still one of the most common complications after PCI and is associated with increased short- and long-term morbidity and mortality. Benefits in access-site bleeding have been consistently observed in high-risk patients undergoing PCI and in particular in STEMI patients where the antithrombotic regimen is more aggressive. Moreover, other advantages with TR access have been reported including better cost-effectiveness, patient preference, reduced in-hospital length-of-stay, earlier patient ambulation, increased safety in patients on oral anticoagulant and the potential for same-day hospital discharge. The benefits of transradial access in PCI led the interventional community to expand its use to endovascular interventions and more recently, to cardiac structural interventions such as transcatheter aortic valve implantation. The aim of this review is to try to give to the reader a wide view of the state-of-the-art of transradial access in PCI and its current use in endovascular and structural interventions.