title: Effectiveness of ulnar artery catheterization after failed attempt to cannulate a radial artery.
abstract: Transradial artery catheterization has become an accepted alternative approach to performing diagnostic and interventional coronary procedures. However, its usefulness can be limited by access site failure. We report on 12 patients in whom there was failure to cannulate the radial artery. Angiograms of the hand were performed on all patients through the ulnar sheath to determine the possible mechanism of failure to cannulate the radial artery and to determine the source of the blood supply to the hand. Irrespective of the mechanism of failure, each of the 12 procedures was subsequently successfully completed using the ipsilateral ulnar artery approach.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology of Creighton University School of Medicine, Omaha, Nebraska 68131, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Lanspa
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Rick L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Heirigs
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002406:Catheterization, Peripheral / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D017534:Radial Artery; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017535:Ulnar Artery