Comparative Analysis of Transradial and Transfemoral Arterial Approach When Performing Diagnostic Coronary Angiography

BACKGROUND: The transfemoral (TF) arterial approach is still the most commonly used approach for performing diagnostic coronary angiography in most centers in the world as well as in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Recently, the transradial (TR) arterial approach has gained more and more supporters among interventional cardiologists. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to compare the duration of the procedure, the amount of delivered ionizing radiation, the amount of applied contrast agent, the frequency of procedural complications and patient comfort during coronary angiography performed via TR and TF arterial approach. METHODS: The total sample of 240 respondents was divided into two groups in such a way that the first group consisted of 121 respondents who underwent coronary angiography using TR arterial approach, and the second group consisted of 119 respondents who underwent coronary angiography using TF arterial approach. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to verify the research objective. RESULTS: The obtained research results showed that the duration of coronary angiography and the amount of radiation was greater when using TR arterial approach compared to TF approach. There is no statistically significant difference in relation to the amount of applied contrast medium and the frequency of complications between the two approaches. Periprocedural and postprocedural comfort was better in patents who underwent TR approach. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study show that diagnostic coronary angiography performed via the TR arterial approach is as safe for the patient as diagnostic coronary angiography performed via the TF arterial approach. With both approaches, there is no significant difference in the amount of contrast agent used nor in the frequency of complications. Procedure duration and radiation exposure are shorter when TF arterial approach i used, while patient comfort is better when the TR arterial approach is used.