Outcomes of Transpedal Arterial Access Hemostasis Using a Radial Hemostatic Band

There is increasing burden of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in the United States. Despite advancements in endovascular therapy, there have been significant limitations in invasive interventions aimed at revascularization. The transpedal tibial artery retrograde approach has been described as an alternative access for patients with complex disease requiring dual access or failed revascularization via conventional common femoral artery access. In this study, we examined the safety and efficacy of a radial hemostatic band to achieve hemostasis post procedure without compromising the integrity of the accessed tibial artery.

This study included 20 patients with PAD requiring endovascular revascularization on whom the RadAR band device (Advanced Vascular Dynamics) was applied for postprocedure hemostasis following transpedal access between December 2011 and May 2014. All patients underwent routine postprocedure ankle-brachial indices (ABIs) following hemostasis to determine outcomes of the overall ABI and that of the accessed pedal artery.

Mean patient age was 77 years and mean patient weight was 80.9 kg. Mean follow-up was 11 months post procedure. Lesions were located as follows: 3 popliteal, 13 superficial femoral, 3 posterior tibial, and 1 anterior tibial. Nine procedures were performed on the left leg and 11 on the right leg. All patients received heparin as anticoagulation, with a targeted activated clotting time between 250-300 seconds. Access was made into the posterior tibial in 15 patients and in the anterior tibial in 5 patients. RadAR band was deployed in a fashion similar to its deployment on the radial artery. Hemostasis was achieved in all 20 cases without complication. Postprocedure ABI and pedal-brachial index (PBI) improved significantly compared with the preprocedure values. There was an average improvement of approximately 50% in ABIs, improving from 0.59 to 0.88. The PBI also improved from 0.59 before the procedure to 0.87 post procedure. There was, however, no significant difference in ABI or PBI in anterior vs posterior tibial artery access patients.

Transpedal tibial arterial access is an effective technique for revascularization in the lower extremity, and postprocedure access-vessel hemostasis and patency are reliably and safely achieved using a hemostatic band device.