The use of the angio-seal haemostatic puncture closure device in high risk patients

The use of the Angio-Seal haemostatic puncture closure device in 45 patients considered to be at increased risk of puncture site complications is described. Successful device deployment occurred in 44 of 50 arteries (88%), Two major complications were associated with, but not necessarily caused by, the Angio-Seal device, Four minor complications were observed, In a subset of 23 patients well enough to mobilize early after their procedure, 17 did so at an average of 2.6h as opposed to the routine 12-18h for patients after a procedure involving a 6-8F sheath. Once the initial learning curve has been overcome, the Angio-Seal device is a simple and successful method of achieving arterial haemostasis following catheterization and is associated with a low risk of complications. At present we would recommend its use for high risk patients only, as manual compression is effective in the majority of routine cases.