[Feasibility of early ambulation three hours after transfemoral angiography using a 4 French sheath].
OBJECTIVE
Our objective was to evaluate the feasibility of early resumption of ambulation 3 hours after transfemoral angiography using a 4 French sheath.


METHODS
This prospective study was carried out in a selected group of men and women without impaired blood clotting (prothrombin time > 15 sec) or thrombocytopenia (platelet < 55,000/mm3). The subjects consisted of 66 men and 34 women with a mean age of 62.3 years (range 27-90 years). Incidences of rebleeding or hematoma at the site of femoral catheter insertion were investigated before and after ambulation. Rebleeding was defined as bleeding that required recompression. Hematoma was defined as a palpable, firm collection of subcutaneous blood.


RESULTS
Of 100 patients who resumed full ambulation after three hours of bed rest, none (0%) had acute groin hematoma and only three (3%) showed rebleeding that had to be manually compressed. The remaining 97 patients (97%) had no problem after ambulation.


CONCLUSIONS
Supervised resumption of ambulation 3 hours after angiography with a 4 French sheath is safe and feasible in most ambulatory patients undergoing transfemoral angiography.
Department of Radiology, Akita University School of Medicine.
Koichi
K
Ishiyama
Manabu
M
Hashimoto
Etsuko
E
Tate
Koichi
K
Omachi
Ikuo
I
Sakuma
Yoshinori
Y
Hirano
Koki
K
Kato
Kimihiko
K
Sato
Satoshi
S
Takahashi
Jiro
J
Watarai
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000792:Angiography; D001510:Bed Rest; D004434:Early Ambulation; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D005263:Femoral Artery; D006406:Hematoma / Q000209:etiology; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies