Adjunctive anticoagulation during peripheral vascular intervention

Endovascular techniques for the treatment of peripheral arterial disease are becoming an increasingly common alternative to open surgery, yet the degree of anticoagulation and choice of anticoagulant to optimize outcomes in these procedures remain uncertain. To date, few randomized trials have directly compared different anticoagulants for use during peripheral vascular interventions. It is also unclear if the approach to anticoagulation should be individualized to each vascular bed or if common principles are shared among them. This has led practitioners across different specialties to use a variety of different methods for anticoagulation, with most extrapolated from techniques used in percutaneous coronary interventions. In this review, we analyze the current literature for anticoagulation used during peripheral vascular intervention of the lower extremity, renal, carotid, and aortic arteries, with special consideration to the choice of anticoagulant used to maximize safe and effective procedural outcomes.