title: Outpatient transfemoral angiography with a two-hour observation period.
abstract: A study was undertaken to determine whether reducing needle size would reduce the complication rate of outpatient angiography with 4F catheters. One hundred fifty-two patients were randomized. An 18-gauge needle was used in 51, a 20-gauge in 50, and a 21-gauge in 51. Patients were observed for 2 h. No patients deteriorated after discharge. None of the 18-gauge patients developed a hematoma. Four percent of the 20-gauge and 2% of the 21-gauge patients had mild hematomas. This suggests that outpatient angiography using 4F catheters and 2 h of observation is safe. Increased safety with 20 or 21-gauge needles was not confirmed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiological Sciences, Ottawa Civic Hospital, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: S F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Millward
authors.forename: J I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Marsh
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Peterson
mesh_terms: D000553:Ambulatory Care; D000792:Angiography / Q000295:instrumentation*; D005260:Female; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009339:Needles; D013997:Time Factors