Radial Versus Femoral Arterial Access for Cardiac Catheterization: Comparison of Complications at 30 Days

Cardiac catheterization has traditionally been performed via access to the arterial circulation from the femoral artery located in the groin. As an alternative to this approach, the radial artery, located in the arm, is gaining wider use in clinical practice. Multiple studies have demonstrated that cardiac catheterization via the radial approach has a very low complication rate, in the short term. This study is intended to determine if there are any differences in the long term complication rate between radial artery cardiac catheterization as compared with femoral artery cardiac catheterization.