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Ambulation three hours after elective cardiac catheterisation through the femoral artery
G Steffenino1, A Dellavalle, F Ribichini
1Division of Cardiology, Ospedale Santa Croce, Cuneo, Italy.
Insights
Early ambulation after femoral cardiac catheterisation is safe and feasible. Most patients can resume walking 3 hours post-procedure with minimal complications like minor haematoma.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Vascular Access
- Patient Mobility
Background:
- Femoral cardiac catheterisation is a common procedure.
- Early ambulation protocols aim to improve patient recovery and reduce complications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the safety and feasibility of very early ambulation (3 hours) after femoral cardiac catheterisation.
- To assess complication rates associated with early mobilization in stable patients.
Main Methods:
- Prospective inpatient study of 200 consecutive patients undergoing elective cardiac catheterisation via the femoral arterial route.
- Utilized 5F catheters; 20% also underwent concurrent femoral right heart study.
- Patients were monitored for complications with physical inspection at 3 hours and the following day.
Main Results:
- No major complications were reported.
- Minor complications included haematoma (3.5% overall at 12 hours) and transient hypotension (1%).
- Only one patient (0.5%) developed a groin haematoma by the next morning after resuming ambulation at 3 hours.
Conclusions:
- Supervised resumption of ambulation 3 hours after uncomplicated cardiac studies using 5F femoral arterial catheters is safe and feasible.
- Early mobilization appears well-tolerated in most ambulant patients undergoing elective procedures.
- This approach may facilitate faster patient recovery without increasing vascular risks.
Objective:
To test whether very early resumption of ambulation after femoral cardiac catheterisation is feasible and safe in patients with stable symptoms.
Design:
Prospective study in a selected group of men and women undergoing elective cardiac catheterisation, with next day physical inspection.
Setting:
Inpatient study.
Subjects:
Two hundred consecutive ambulant patients submitted to diagnostic cardiac catheterisation through the femoral arterial route using 5F catheters: a femoral right heart study was done at the same time in 40 patients (20%).
Results:
No patient had major complications during the study. Early ambulation was not allowed in two patients (1%) because of haematoma formation immediately after sheath removal, and in seven (3%) because of poor haemostasis or haematoma on inspection at 3 h. Early ambulation was interrupted in two patients (1%) because of transient arterial hypotension on standing in one, and the patient's preference in the other. Of 189 patients who resumed full ambulation at 3 h, one (0.5%) had a groin haematoma on discharge the next morning. Overall, haematoma 12 h after cardiac catheterisation was present in seven of the 200 patients initially included in the study (3.5%). None of the 191 patients with attempted early mobilisation had signs or symptoms of vascular complications one month or later after discharge.
Conclusion:
Supervised resumption of ambulation 3 h after uncomplicated cardiac studies with 5F femoral arterial catheters is safe and feasible in most ambulant patients undergoing elective cardiac catheterisation.