Background

• Cardiac catheterization is a procedure in which a catheter is inserted through a blood vessel in order to gain access to the heart.

• During cardiac catheterization, the cardiologist utilizes fluoroscopy with contrast dye in order to visually assess cardiac function. Depending on the assessment, additional treatments may be delivered during the procedure. For example, the cardiologist may perform angioplasty, atherectomy, and/or stenting during the procedure in order to treat regions of atherosclerosis.

• According to the American Heart Association, over one million cardiac catheterization procedures are performed annually in the United States.

• In order to perform cardiac catheterization, the cardiologist may gain access to a blood vessel using a transradial (TRA) or transfemoral approach (TFA). Over 30% of cardiac catheterizations in the US rely on the transradial approach. This percentage is increasing yearly, and the American Heart Association has backed a “radial-first” methodology due to the reduced complications seen in the transradial approach.

• Due to the standard catheterization lab set-up, the right radial artery has become the most common insertion site for the transradial approach.

• The left radial artery is used for access if the patient has a fistula for dialysis in the right arm. It is also used if the patient has bypass grafts.

• The left radial approach is less tortuous than the right radial approach, which is especially preferable for patients of short statue and patients with significant abdominal obesity.

• Complications of cardiac catheterization are rare, but can include the following: bruising at the insertion site, radial artery spasm, and radial occlusion. As such, right handed patients may prefer the left radial approach.

• The standard setup of a catheterization lab restricts the cardiologist to the right side of the patient's body.

• In order to access the left radial artery, the cardiologist must reach over the patient and expose themselves to x-ray radiation.

• The insertion site has to be accessed throughout the procedure as the cardiologist inserts numerous catheters, guidewires, balloons, stents, and other interventional devices.

• This puts the cardiologist at risk of excessive radiation exposure and back pain.

Cardiologists are in need of an improved method of securing the left radial artery during cardiac catheterization which holds the access site stable on the right side in order to decrease cardiologist radiation exposure and improve ergonomics for both the cardiologist and patient.