Interventions performed via radial access are sometimes limited by the size of the guiding catheter that can fit in the coronary ostium. It is important to properly assess the characteristics of the coronary lesions to be treated, to choose the right therapeutic technique and ensure compatibility with the size of guiding catheter to be used.
Usually, an introducer and a 6-French catheter are used, and if a larger size is needed, a 7-French may be used. In some patients, however, this is the limit for radial access, forcing the interventionalist to change to femoral access.
ATP Medical Inc. (Shenzhen, China) makes 6.5-French introducers with an outer diameter equal to that of a conventional 6-French introducer. This is made possible by reducing the thickness of the wall of the introducer without sacrificing performance or kink resistance. The sheath comes with a high-performance guiding catheter with an inner diameter of 6.5 French, 0.075’’ compared to the 0.071’’ of the conventional 6-French guiding catheter.
This characteristic can be important when performing certain coronary intervention techniques such as kissing stent or rotational atherectomy with a 1.75-mm burr, techniques that are not feasible with a 6 French guiding catheter.
These introducers and guiding catheters are also available in 5.5 French.
The following curved guiding catheter are available: Judkins, Amplatz, extra support, Williams, and multipurpose.
Palabras clave: introductor arterial, catéter guía. Keywords: introducer, guiding catheter.
