Percutaneous closure devices in coronary angioplasty, the benefit is for obese patients

Original title: Comparative safety of vascular closure devices and manual closure among patients having percutaneous coronary intervention. Reference: Gurm HS et al. Ann Intern Med. 2013; Epub ahead of print.

The use of percutaneous closure devices in patients who undergo coronary angioplasty by femoral access is controversial and its use has gradually changed over time.

This record analyzed the results of the 85048 angioplasties performed by the femoral approach in 32 centers between 2007 and 2009. The most frequently used devices in the registry were the Angio- Seal (St. Jude Medical, Minneapolis, MN) with 56.5%, Perclose (Abbott, Santa Clara, CA) with 9.7% and Starclose (Abbott) with 9.5 %. Out of all those patients, 28 528 (37%) received percutaneous closure devices; these were younger and less likely to have comorbidities or primary angioplasty than those who received manual compression. Given these differences in the baseline characteristics of both groups we decided to use propensity score having 68874 patients in the final analysis.

In patients receiving closure devices a reduction of vascular complications was observed (OR 0.78, CI 95% 0.67 a 0.90; p= 0.001). And the need for transfusions post procedure (OR 0.85, IC 95% 0.74 a 0.96; p= 0.011), compared to those in which manual compression was performed to remove the introducer. Within vascular complications, closure devices reduced the risk of hematoma (the  most common vascular complication OR 0.69; CI 95% 0.58 a 0.82; p< 0.001) and Pseudoaneurysm

(OR 0.57; CI 95% 0.41 a 0.78; p= 0.007) but increased the risk of retroperitoneal bleeding (OR 1.57; CI 95% 1.13 a 2.16; p= 0.001). This benefit was seen in all subgroups except for patients with a body mass index below 25 kg/m2 and those who had received IIBIIIB glycoprotein inhibitors. Intra-hospital mortality was similar between groups.

Conclusion:

Percutaneous closure devices were associated with a significant reduction in vascular complications and the need for transfusions in this great record of coronary angioplasty by femoral access. The above benefit is lost in patients who received glycoprotein inhibitors or had normal or underweight and should be counterbalanced by the increase in retroperitoneal hematomas.

Editorial comment:

The small but significant increase in retroperitoneal hematomas with closure devices is not a  minor detail because it is one of the most serious vascular complications. Obese patients are most benefited by the closure devices but do not forget that so are the radial access.

SOLACI.ORG

More articles by this author

ACC 2026 | ALL-RISE Trial: Coronary Physiological Assessment Using FFRangio

Coronary physiological assessment using pressure-wire techniques (FFR/iFR) carries a Class IA recommendation in ACC/AHA guidelines; however, its use remains limited due to factors such...

ACC 2026 | PRO-TAVI Trial: Deferring Coronary Angioplasty in Patients Undergoing TAVI

Coronary artery disease is common in patients with severe aortic stenosis undergoing TAVI. Current guidelines recommend considering revascularization in significant coronary lesions, particularly in...

ACC 2026 | CHIP-BCIS3: Impella use as support in high-risk complex PCI

The use of percutaneous ventricular support during high-risk complex PCI has been proposed as a strategy to prevent hemodynamic deterioration in patients with severe...

ACC 2026 | ORBITA-CTO: PCI in chronic total occlusions and stable angina — the randomized trial we were missing?

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for chronic total occlusions (CTO) remains a topic of ongoing debate in stable angina, with persistent uncertainty regarding its role...

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Related Articles

SOLACI Sessionsspot_img

Recent Articles

ACC 2026 | ALL-RISE Trial: Coronary Physiological Assessment Using FFRangio

Coronary physiological assessment using pressure-wire techniques (FFR/iFR) carries a Class IA recommendation in ACC/AHA guidelines; however, its use remains limited due to factors such...

ACC 2026 | Protect The Head-To-Head Trial: Randomized Comparison Between Emboliner and Sentinel During TAVI

Ischemic stroke remains one of the most feared complications of TAVI, with a relatively low but persistent incidence of 2–4%, without significant reduction over...

ACC 2026 | PRO-TAVI Trial: Deferring Coronary Angioplasty in Patients Undergoing TAVI

Coronary artery disease is common in patients with severe aortic stenosis undergoing TAVI. Current guidelines recommend considering revascularization in significant coronary lesions, particularly in...