Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 12, 2025

Utilizing Percutaneous Ventricular Assist Devices in Acute Myocardial Infarction Complicated by Cardiogenic Shock
Published on: June 12, 2021
Alternative Access for Mechanical Circulatory Support
Amy E Cheney1, James M McCabe1
1Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of Washington Medical Center, 1959 Northeast Pacific Street, Seattle, WA 98195-6171, USA.
Abstract:
Femoral arterial access is the default strategy for large-bore interventional procedures, including temporary mechanical circulatory support implantation and structural heart therapies, based on superior outcomes and operator ease. In addition to patient size and comorbidities, vessel tortuosity, significant calcification, and diminutive vessel caliber all may make iliofemoral access prohibitively high risk or impossible. Given the increase of large-bore transcatheter procedures, bleeding avoidance strategies are essential and thus novel mechanisms for large-bore access have evolved. This article highlights the advantages, limitations, and practical approaches to the 2 most common percutaneous large-bore alternative access strategies: transaxillary and transcaval access.
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