In the United States, over 2 million diagnostic procedures and 600,000 coronary angioplasty procedures are performed every year. These procedures are undertaken to locate and treat blocked coronary arteries. During an angioplasty procedure, an interventional cardiologist will thread a tiny wire and a balloon catheter through an entry site into the body to the diseased artery of the heart. The balloon catheter is then inflated, opening a clogged artery.

This procedure is usually performed through the femoral artery in the leg. Physicians at the Carle Heart Center are now accomplishing the same procedure through an artery in the wrist with similar procedural success.

The hand has a dual blood supply (the radial and the ulnar arteries). A simple test is performed prior to beginning the transradial procedure to check the adequacy of the blood flow through these arteries. About 80 to 85% of patients would qualify for this approach.

For many years, physicians have used the femoral artery to insert interventional devices to treat the blocked arteries of the heart. The miniaturization of medical devices has allowed the use of smaller arteries, like the radial artery. With the use of the smaller radial artery, easier and quicker control of bleeding is achieved with less nursing and staff time required.

According to Carle Cardiologist Mathew Gibb, M.D., who was the first to perform this procedure at the Carle Heart Center, the patient experiences less bleeding complications; requires shorter bed rest time; and may be able to be discharged the same day, saving the cost of an overnight stay in the hospital. Anecdotal information indicates that the majority of patients who have had both femoral and radial procedures prefer the wrist procedure because of these benefits. Dr. Gibb performs over 45% of the more than 600 angioplasties performed annually at the Carle Heart Center.

"The transradial procedure offers some significant advantages over the groin procedure, " said Dr. Gibb. "However, not every patient will qualify for it, and there are times when the transradial procedure cannot be used, but it does certainly offer a great deal of promise," he added.

For more information, please contact Cindy Brown, R.N., outreach coordinator for the Carle Heart Center at 217-3830-3950 or Cindy.Brown@carle.com.