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

For the second year in a row, Corindus participated and exhibited in the SCAI Fellows Course, which took place December 6-9^th in Las Vegas, generating a great deal of buzz for robotic-assisted PCI. The show is attended by interventional and structural fellows from across the globe.

The last year has seen a significant increase in data on the serious occupational hazards of working in the cath lab. The interventional community is beginning to take note of the rising concern: data and best practices are being presented at conferences, a new organization has been developed that is dedicated to raising awareness for these risks, and entire courses are being dedicated to radiation safety. Unfortunately, new data suggests that there is yet another in the long list of risks to interventional teams: cognitive impairment as a result of long term exposure to low dose ionizing radiation.

Background: Prevalence of LGM & current status of robotic-assisted PCI