Use of a pneumatic compression system (FEMOSTOP(R)) as a treatment option for femoral artery pseudoaneurysms after percutaneous cardiac procedures

Pseudoaneurysm (PA) formation is a well-documented complication of femoral arterial puncture in patients undergoing percutaneous cardiac procedures. Besides surgical repair, there has been success in obliterating the PAs by Duplex ultrasound guided compression (mostly those <4.0 cm). We analyzed the use of prolonged femoral compression using a pneumatic compression system (FemoStop(R) by USCI) in 10 patients who developed femoral PAs following an interventional cardiac procedure. All PAs were diagnosed by ultrasound and had unsuccessful duplex-guided compression. The size of the PA ranged from 2.8-4.0 cm in diameter. All patients had the FemoStop system placed over the PA with continuous pressure for 12-18 hr. PA obliteration was successful in 90% of cases as confirmed by ultrasound. The only complication observed was skin abrasion in two patients. Our results indicate that the FemoStop system is a simple and effective technique far treatment of femoral artery PAs. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.