title: An alternative noninvasive technique for the treatment of iatrogenic femoral pseudoaneurysms: stethoscope-guided compression.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  latrogenic femoral pseudoaneurysm is a well-known vascular access site complication. Many invasive and noninvasive techniques have been proposed for the management of this relatively common complication. In this study, we aimed to evaluate efficiency and safety of stethoscope-guided compression as a novel noninvasive technique in the femoral pseudoaneurysm treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We prospectively included 29 consecutive patients with the diagnosis of femoral pseudoaneurysm who underwent coronary angiography. Patients with a clinical suspicion of femoral pseudoaneurysm were referred to colour Doppler ultrasound evaluation. The adult (large) side of the stethoscope was used to determine the location where the bruit was best heard. Then compression with the paediatric (small) side of the stethoscope was applied until the bruit could no longer be heard and compression was maintained for at least two sessions. Once the bruit disappeared, a 12-hour bed rest with external elastic compression was advised to the patients, in order to prevent disintegration of newly formed thrombosis. Mean pseudoaneurysm size was 1.7 +/- 0.4 cmx 3.0 +/- 0.9 cm and the mean duration of compression was 36.2 +/- 8.5 minutes.Twenty-six (89.6%) of these 29 patients were successfully treated with stethoscope-guided compression. In 18 patients (62%), the pseuodoaneurysms were successfully closed after 2 sessions of 15-minute compression. No severe complication was observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Stethoscope-guided compression of femoral pseudoaneurysms is a safe and effective novel technique which requires less equipment and expertise than other contemporary methods.
authors.affiliation: Cankiri State Hospital, Cankiri, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Korkmaz
authors.forename: Serkan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Duyuler
authors.forename: Süleyman
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kalayci
authors.forename: Pinar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Türker
authors.forename: Ekrem
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sahan
authors.forename: Orhan
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Maden
authors.forename: Mehmet Timur
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Selçuk
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017541:Aneurysm, False / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D002406:Catheterization, Peripheral / Q000009:adverse effects; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000295:instrumentation*; D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D005263:Femoral Artery; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007049:Iatrogenic Disease; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011312:Pressure; D011446:Prospective Studies; D019023:Stethoscopes; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color