The use of the angio-seal haemostatic puncture closure device in high risk patients

The use of the Angio Seal haemostatic puncture closure device in 45 patients considered to be at increased risk of puncture site complications is described. Successful device deployment occurred in 44 of 50 arteries (88%). Two major complications were associated with, but not necessarily caused by, the Angio-Seal device. Four minor complications were observed. In a subset of 23 patients well enough to mobilize early after their procedure, 17 did so at an average of 2.6 h as opposed to the routine 12-18 h for patients after a procedure involving a 6-8F sheath. Once the initial learning curve has been overcome, the Angio-Seal device is a simple and successful method of achieving arterial haemostasis following catheterization and is associated with a low risk of complications. At present we would recommend its use for high risk patients only, as manual compression is effective in the majority of routine cases.