Setting the Standard for Transradial
Terumo is setting the standard for transradial,” according to Terumo Medical Corporation’s Senior Marketing Manager Gary Clifton.
Transradial access involves using one of the major arteries of the wrist, rather than the groin, to gain access
to the heart for a cardiac interventional procedure. The major advantage of accessing the heart through the radial artery is reduced bleeding complications at the access site by as much as 75%. This reduces costs and improves patient quality outcomes. “Everyone benefits from the procedure – the hospital, physician, patient and healthcare system,” says Gary.
Transradial access is the leading access strategy in many countries of the world, but not the United States.
In the US it accounts for an estimated 3 percent to 5 percent of cases; femoral access (through the groin) has been the default strategy. The main reason for this disparity is lack of physician training and experience.
Education and Training “There is definitely a huge demand for transradial education in the US, greater than we have seen in the past,” said Sunil V. Rao, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center. “There are both clinical and economic factors driving transradial interest, but the demand is outstripping the availability of educational options.”
To meet that demand, Terumo Medical launched “Transradial University” in cooperation with Dr. Rao and other leading clinicians as an informational website for physicians and other medical professionals interested in expanding their understanding of the transradial procedure.
The interactive website, www.transradialuniversity.com offers on-demand informational modules intended to provide physicians an introduction to various aspects of transradial cases, including tips and tricks , with contributions from leading transradialists. World-class products Terumo Medical offers a variety of products for transradial procedures, from access to the artery through the Glidesheath™, to the ubiquitous Glidewire® that guides the catheter through the artery to the heart, to Optitorque™ curves, which enable angiography of both the right and left coronary arteries with a single catheter, to the TR Band™, an arterial compression device which allows the clinician to visualize the puncture site and apply the appropriate amount of compression to achieve patient hemostasis.
Transradial University is Terumo Medical’s first venture into on-line training. “Terumo has spent the last two years uncovering the education and training needs of physicians and healthcare professionals. This website will prove to be a valuable clearinghouse for questions and concerns as labs begin to undertake migrating to
more radial procedures,” says Gary.