Radial Artery Occlusion After Cardiac Catheterization: Significance, Risk Factors, and Management

Multiple modifiable risk factors have been proposed to decrease the likelihood of developing radial artery occlusion (RAO) in patients who undergo transradial (TR) catheterization. RAO, the most significant complication for these patients, however, remains poorly identified and under diagnosed owing to its clinical quiescence and lack of clinical guidelines for systematic evaluation of radial artery patency. Currently, only best practices are available. As TR catheterization is becoming more widely adopted across the United States it has become more important to develop concrete strategies for identifying modifiable risk factors, high-risk patients, and better understanding the mechanisms to adequately approach treatment of RAO. We reviewed the contemporary literature regarding RAO and TR catheterization to provide a simplified method for discerning identifiable risk factors, high-risk groups, and management of RAO after TR catheterization.