Backround
Adoption of transradial access (TRA) for Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) continues to grow in the United States. In 2013, the rate of PCIs done transradially was estimated to account for 16% of all US PCI procedures, but more recent reports put the estimates at closer to 30%. Transradial access is associated with lower vascular and bleeding complication rates, is preferred by patients and is cost-effective compared with transfemoral access.1 The benefits of transradial access, however, don’t come without a cost. The REVERE trial found that the primary operator receives up to 50% more radiation exposure when performing coronary angiographic and interventional procedures from the left radial approach as compared to the femoral approach.1