BACKGROUNDTransradial approach catheterization is now widely used in coronary angiography and angioplasty. The ulnar artery, which is one of the two terminal branches of the brachial artery, may be a potential approach for cardiac catheterization. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and feasibility of a transulnar approach for coronary catheterization in non-selective patients.

METHODSA total of 535 consecutive patients were randomly assigned to transulnar approach (TUA) group (n = 271) or transradial approach (TRA) group (n = 264) upon arrival at the catheterization laboratory. Allen's test and inverse Allen's test were not routinely performed. Ultrasound-Doppler assessment of the forearm artery was performed before the procedure, two days after the procedure, and 30 days after the procedure. The primary endpoints of study were the rate of successful artery cannulation and the access-site related complications. The secondary endpoints included the number of needle punctures, total time for the procedure, and major adverse cardiac events (MACE).

RESULTSSuccessful puncture of the objective artery was obtained in 91.5% of the patients in the TUA group, and 95.1% of the patients in the TRA group (P > 0.05). There was no significant difference in hematoma complications between the two groups (7.7% vs. 4.2%, P = 0.100). A motor abnormality of the hand was observed in one patient in the TUA group. There were no arteriovenous fistula or pseudoaneurysm observed in our study. Three (1.1%) patients in the TUA group and 8 (3.0%) patients in the TRA group had occlusion of the access artery (P = 0.137), but none of the patients had symptoms or signs of hand ischemia. There were no significant differences in MACE between the two groups during follow-up.

CONCLUSIONThe transulnar approach is an effective and safe technique for coronary catheterization in non-selective patients.