Prevention of radial artery occlusion after transradial angiography and intervention: a best practice implementation project.

Introduction: Among the complications associated with transradial artery access, radial artery occlusion (RAO) is the most frequent and serious, limiting the reuse of the same radial artery for subsequent procedures and as a graft for coronary artery bypass grafting.

Objective: The objective of this project was to implement best practices to reduce the incidence of RAO, thereby enhancing the quality of patient care after transradial coronary angiography or intervention.

Methods: The project was conducted in cardiology department of the Huadong Hospital, Shanghai, China. The seven-phase JBI Evidence Implementation Framework was used to guide the project. Eight audit criteria were developed and a baseline audit was conducted to compare current practice with best practices for RAO prevention. Following the implementation of improvement strategies, a follow-up audit was conducted to evaluate the success of the strategies.

Results: The implementation of best practices led to significant improvements in reducing the sheath/catheter size and systematically assessing radial artery patency before discharge, with both criteria reaching 100% compliance. The use of prophylactic ulnar compression increased from 0% to 90%, and the adoption of a minimal pressure strategy improved from 0% to 70%. The use of pre-puncture and post-procedural pre-hemostasis nitrates also increased from 23% to 93%. Barriers to implementation included the lack of dedicated devices for prophylactic ulnar artery compression, the possibility of bleeding after removal of the compression device, absence of an evidence-based care workflow, and absence of nursing assessment record forms for RAO prevention.

Conclusions: This project promoted evidence-based practices among nurses for the care of RAO patients following transradial angiography and intervention. Efforts should be made to sustain the best practices in the future.

Spanish abstract: http://links.lww.com/IJEBH/A261.