title: Rebirth of left radial artery access: could this be the 'right' radial artery?
abstract: Cardiac catheterization has several risks, notably which include bleeding, stroke and death. The transradial (TR) approach to catheterization is associated with a lower bleeding risk. The right radial approach is the default method in most laboratories and the left radial artery (LRA) serves as the bail-out approach. This article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of transfemoral and TR access routes. The authors envisage an increased adoption of the LRA approach, due to the anatomical superiority and ease of catheter engagement afforded by this approach. The authors discuss ways to increase operator ease for LRA in the laboratory and propose a novel way to improve LRA work-flow.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, The Ohio State University, 473 W 12th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43221, USA.
authors.forename: Montoya
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Quinn
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Capers
authors.forename: Dilesh
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: Nishaki K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Mehta
mesh_terms: D006328:Cardiac Catheterization / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D017534:Radial Artery; D020521:Stroke / Q000209:etiology
keywords: cardiac catheterization; left radial artery; right radial artery; transfemoral; transradial