Feasibility and Safety of Endovascular Interventions via Percutaneous Access to the Axillary Artery

Background

Endovascular treatment of peripheral arterial disease requires safe and reliable arterial access. This study evaluates the feasibility and safety of percutaneous axillary artery access for endovascular therapy. A variety of anatomic and logistic obstacles can be overcome with upper extremity access. In this retrospective case review, we describe our experience with percutaneous trans-axillary access for lower extremity peripheral arterial disease intervention.

Methods

Medical records of all patients undergoing axillary artery percutaneous access from December 2021 to August 2024 were reviewed. Demographic data, procedural details, and complications such as pseudoaneurysm, hematoma, nerve injury, and closure device success were analyzed. Technical success and perioperative complications—including bruising, edema, hematoma, nerve injury, infection, thrombosis, and pseudoaneurysm—were assessed. Clinical outcomes were analyzed via follow-up clinic records.

Results

During the study period, 79 axillary artery accesses were performed on 64 patients. The patients were 55% male and had typical vascular comorbidities: hypertension (87%), hyperlipidemia (68%), coronary artery disease (27%), stroke (19%), and diabetes (16%); 58% were active tobacco users, and 80% were former tobacco users. Axillary access facilitated peripheral endovascular procedures, including iliac intervention (55), femoral (44), mesenteric (16), tibial (11), and embolization or visceral aneurysm treatments. A 6F sheath and ultrasound-guided Angio-Seal closure device were uniformly employed, with no major complications, perioperative deaths, or reoperations required. Minor complications of bruising and edema were present in 11 patients (14%). Other minor complications such as hematoma, nerve injury, thrombosis, dissection, pseudoaneurysm, or limb ischemia were absent.

Conclusions

Percutaneous axillary artery access demonstrates promise for complex endovascular interventions with a favorable safety profile. Advantages include avoidance of unfavorable femoral anatomy, improved working length compared with radial access, and enhanced control of visceral therapy. Bilateral iliac and lower extremity therapy is feasible in a single treatment as well. Percutaneous axillary artery access is a safe, reliable adjunct for enhancing endovascular arterial intervention capabilities.