Should Ultrasound Guidance Be Routinely Used for Femoral Artery Access?

ABSTRACT

Ultrasound-guided femoral artery access should always be utilized as it has been shown to significantly reduce vascular complications, number of arterial access attempts, accidental venipunctures, and time to access. Despite the increased adoption of transradial access, the conventional femoral artery cannulation remains the primary route for performing peripheral angiography and cardiac catheterization in the setting of high-risk interventional procedures requiring mechanical hemodynamic support. Similarly, with the expansion of structural heart interventions such as transcatheter aortic valve replacement and mitral valve interventions, femoral access has been increased especially for large-bore sheaths.

KEYWORDS:

• Femoral artery
• access
• ultrasound

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.