Expedited Removal of a Radial Hemostatic Compression Device Following Cardiac Catheterization Is Safe and Associated With Reduced Time to Discharge

BACKGROUND: Radial access for cardiac catheterization has become increasingly adopted, owing much of its popularity to decreased bleeding complications compared with the femoral approach. Hemostatic compression devices (HCDs) for radial catheterization play a key role in this advantage, but the optimal duration of compression is unknown. A shorter duration of compression is encouraged by guidelines, but removing an HCD too quickly could result in serious bleeding. We aimed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of expedited removal of a radial HCD after cardiac catheterization. METHODS: We conducted a prospective study of patients undergoing radial cardiac catheterization and/or percutaneous coronary intervention at a tertiary care academic medical center. Patients underwent HCD application using a TR Band(®) (Terumo Interventional Systems) which was removed after a prespecified amount of time in each of three sequential temporal cohorts: 2-h, 1-h, or 0.5-h. Each patient was monitored for development of bleeding or hematoma and for serious complications. RESULTS: A total of 354 patients participated in our study, with similar numbers in each group. There was a greater rate of minor bleeding in the 0.5-h (12%) and 1-h (19%) groups compared with the 2-h group (8%), but there were no serious complications (need for surgical consultation, transfusion, or unplanned admission) in any group. The average time to discharge was shorter in the 0.5-h and 1-h groups compared with the 2-h group. CONCLUSIONS: Deflating the radial HCD at 0.5 h is safe with no increase in the observed rate of major complications and is associated with reduced time to discharge after coronary angiography or percutaneous coronary intervention using the radial arterial approach.