Feasibility and Safety of Chronic Total Occlusion Percutaneous Coronary Intervention via Distal Transradial Access

Cheng-Jui Lin1, Wei-Chieh Lee1, Chieh-Ho Lee1

  • 1Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Insights

Distal transradial access (dTRA) with Glidesheath is a safe and feasible approach for complex chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). This method demonstrated low rates of access-site complications and distal radial artery occlusion, ensuring high procedural success.

Area of Science:

  • Interventional Cardiology
  • Vascular Access Techniques
  • Coronary Artery Disease Management

Background:

  • Chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) presents unique challenges.
  • Traditional transradial access may have limitations for complex CTO procedures.
  • Distal transradial access (dTRA) offers a potential alternative for improved outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the feasibility and safety of CTO-PCI using distal transradial access (dTRA).
  • To assess access-site and procedural complication rates associated with dTRA for CTO intervention.
  • To determine the procedural success rate of CTO-PCI via dTRA.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective study of 298 patients undergoing CTO-PCI via dTRA between April 2017 and December 2019.
  • Detailed recording of demographic and procedural characteristics, including access time and procedure duration.
  • Monitoring of access-site vascular complications, procedural complications, mortality, and radial artery occlusion.

Main Results:

  • High technical success rates for both left (96.5%) and right (97.7%) radial snuffbox access.
  • Low incidence of severe access-site vascular complications (0.7%) and distal radial artery occlusion (0.5%).
  • Overall procedural success rate of 93.5%, with higher success in antegrade (96.5%) versus retrograde (87.7%) approaches.

Conclusions:

  • Distal transradial access (dTRA) combined with Glidesheath is a safe and feasible strategy for complex CTO interventions.
  • The technique is associated with low rates of severe access-site complications and distal radial artery occlusion.
  • dTRA provides a viable and effective alternative access route for CTO-PCI, contributing to high procedural success.