New Heart Catheterization Procedure Means Less Complications, Higher Patient Satisfaction

January 12, 2000

Hershey, Pa. -- A relatively new procedure that makes heart catheterizations more comfortable for patients is being performed at The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.

The medical center is one of the few facilities in Pennsylvania that perform cardiac catheterizations through the radial artery in the wrist rather than the femoral artery in the leg.

This new approach has had a higher success rate, fewer complications and a high degree of patient satisfaction, explains cardiologist Ian Gilchrist, M.D., associate professor of medicine in Penn State’s College of Medicine.

Gilchrist and other cardiologists began the procedure about 18 months ago primarily as a diagnostic tool. He estimates they have performed the procedure 700 times in the past year.

"In addition to diagnosing whether a patient is experiencing a coronary artery disease, we are also performing therapeutic approaches. Through the wrist we can perform balloon angioplasty or place coronary stents in the artery," says Gilchrist.

He explains that when the procedure is performed through the femoral artery in the groin, it requires the patient to lie flat for about 4 to 6 hours. The procedure through the wrist allows patients to be up within a few minutes, and patients often can go home within two hours.

Heart transplant patients typically need a heart catheterization annually to make sure their heart is functioning properly. "These patients know how much more comfortable this is and they are now requesting it be done this way," says Gilchrist.

There will also be a cost savings for both the hospital and the patient as more procedures are done this way, the Penn State professor notes. He cites the reduced time in the hospital and the need for less intensive nursing care as a way to reduce costs.

"I often tell patients the artery in the wrist is about the size of IV tubing, while the artery in the leg is the size of your thumb. It is much easier for physicians to go through the leg because of the size of the artery," states Gilchrist. "However, as other hospitals see the high success rate and high patient satisfaction that we have, they will also want to get the needed training to perform this procedure."

Gilchrist and his colleagues are currently compiling statistics on patients at the medical center for research to present at a national meeting later this year.

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