Experience with the novel unifemoral parallel sheath technique in percutaneous intervention of chronic total coronary occlusions

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous interventions to address chronic coronary occlusions (CTO-PCI) often require simultaneous ipsi- and contralateral coronary injections. Although radial access is increasingly popular, bifemoral artery access is still the preferred choice of CTO operators. The aim of this case series is to demonstrate the feasibility and safety of the unifemoral parallel sheath technique, which avoids two puncture sites, increases patient comfort, and improves procedure ergonomics. It offers rapid second access to the femoral artery adjacent to the first sheath as well as closure by unilateral manual compression without or with 1 or 2 vascular closure devices. RESULTS: We retrospectively evaluated the procedure results in 90 consecutive CTO patients where an ipsilateral parallel sheath access was considered. Placement of the second sheath uneventfully failed in two because of severe femoral calcification and narrowing. In 96.6%, the first sheath was 7 F (3.4% 6F), while the second sheath was 4 F in 22.7%, 5 F in 64.7%, and 6 or 7 F in 11.4% each. No major complications nor severe bleeding events occurred, and the mean drop of hemoglobin was low (0.6 g/dL ± 0.86). CONCLUSION: In CTO-PCI requiring contralateral coronary injections or the retrograde technique, the ipsilateral parallel sheath technique might be a feasible alternative to the standard bifemoral or femoral-radial access.