Purpose of review: The purpose of this review is to identify the anatomical difficulties an operator may encounter during the transradial approach for cardiac catheterization and to offer tips and tricks to overcome those challenges.
Recent findings: With increasing implementation of the transradial approach for cardiac catheterization, many new techniques have been utilized to overcome anatomical challenges. This article also discusses the difficulties faced during transradial approach in patients with prior coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Numerous large randomized trials have demonstrated the value of the transradial approach over the transfemoral approach during cardiac catheterization. However, this technique is routinely avoided or aborted due to anatomical variations in the upper arm and chest. These obstacles have delayed adoption of transradial access by operators despite the apparent benefits. This article reviews some of the available tips and tricks described in the literature to overcome anatomical obstacles. By implementing some of these tools into practice, an operator may realize improved procedural success, decreased procedure time, and improved patient comfort with the transradial approach.
Keywords: Cardiac catheterization; Coronary artery bypass grafting; Radial percutaneous coronary intervention; Transradial approach.