OUTPATIENT ANGIOPLASTY

In a 51/2-year period, 111 outpatients were admitted to the short-stay unit of the authors' institution for angioplasty or angiography with angioplaety. A total of 149 angioplasty procedures were performed on 106 of the 111 patients. The other five patients underwent only angiography and were admitted for further care. Complications included a puncture-site pseudoaneurysm following iliac artery angioplasty and transient hypertension that necessitated hospitalization in a renal artery angioplasty patient. One other patient was to undergo angiography and renal angioplasty if possible. The patient was admitted for surgical revascularization following angiography and an unsuccessful attempt at crossing a severe renal artery stenosis. This stenosis could not be crossed at the time, and this patient was admitted for surgical revascularization. The angioplasty sites included lesions within the abdominal aorta and the renal, iliac, superficial femoral, popliteal, peroneal, celiac, and superior mesenteric arteries. Common femoral artery, antegrade femoral, and high brachial artery approaches were used. The results suggest that outpatient angioplasty is feasible.