Reduction of the Surgical Complication Rate By the Use of a Hypothrombogenic Catheter Coating

Abstract

Complications requiring surgery following percutaneous femoral artery catheterization were reviewed in 6,797 patients. The overall incidence of peripheral thromboembolism was greater in women than in men. Women in the third, fourth, and fifth decades of life had a higher incidence of complications than men of the same age. The complication rate was highest among children in the first decade of life. The most common cause of complications was thrombosis at the puncture site; probably due to a small femoral artery, arterial spasm, or a catheter encasement thrombus which is stripped off during removal of the catheter. The application of a benzalkonium-heparin complex to the guide wire and catheter significantly decreased the incidence of complications.