Category Archives: Transradial Approach

April 17, 2014 · 9:01 pm

MARS Across the Hudson: Mid-Atlantic Radial Symposium is May 3

Dr. Jordan Safirstein and his Google Glass

Dr. Jordan Safirstein and his Google Glass

If you are an interventional cardiologist or work in a cath lab where the transradial approach is being utilized, and you live anywhere near New York-New Jersey-Pennsylvania, you might want to consider a day trip to Morristown, New Jersey on May 3. This trip won’t cost you anything, because the Mid-Atlantic Radial Symposium (MARS) is free; and yes, there still is such a thing as a free lunch. (For those who want to come in the day before, the Westin Governor Morris is offering a special room rate.)

Oh yes: you’ll also be able to receive 5.5 AMA PRA Category 1 CME credits. Continue reading →

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Filed under Meetings & Conferences, Transradial Approach

February 26, 2014 · 9:41 pm

Spring Training: Transradial Style

Baseball and U.S. mapNo less than four U.S. training courses in Transradial Angioplasty have just been announced for this Spring (and, yes, Spring is actually going to come after this very long winter). And all of these training opportunities are being offered at no cost.

The courses span the length and breadth of the United States. From East to West they are:

1. The Mid-Atlantic Radial Symposium 2014, or MARS 2014, will be held at the Gagnon Cardiovascular Institute at Morristown Medical Center in Morristown, New Jersey on Saturday, May 3. This is the third iteration of this course, organized by Jordan Safirstein, MD, FACC, FSCAI, and is the only one of the four courses that offers CME accreditation, specifically 5.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits, as well as live case demonstrations. Continue reading →

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October 19, 2013 · 8:41 pm

For Transradial Angioplasty, “Slender and Lean” in the Netherlands

Slender Club Europe 2014: a new initiative of Slender Club Japan

Slender Club Europe 2014: a new initiative of Slender Club Japan

A criticism from some cardiologists of the transradial approach, in which diagnostic angiography and percutaneous interventions (angioplasty and stents) are performed through the radial artery in the wrist, has been that the radial artery is too small to permit successful navigation of the various sheaths, wires and catheters. Of course, it’s been more than two decades since Dr. Ferdinand Kiemeneij successfully opened a blocked coronary artery via the wrist and today, in many parts of the world, half of all procedures are done this way. Continue reading →

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Filed under Europe, Global Trends, Innovators, Japan, Meetings & Conferences, Transradial Approach

September 25, 2013 · 10:25 pm

AIM-RADIAL International Master Class in New York

Dr. Olivier Bertrand

Dr. Olivier Bertrand

For the next three days, scores of interventional cardiologists will be gathering in New York City for the Second Annual AIM-RADIAL Master Class where they will hear talks, engage in roundtable discussions, watch live case demonstrations, and be thoroughly immersed in advanced state-of-the-art techniques, the latest data and the most current evidence-based medicine regarding all aspects of the transradial technique for diagnostic angiography and percutaneous interventions. Continue reading →

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Filed under Global Trends, Innovators, Meetings & Conferences, Transradial Approach

July 9, 2013 · 9:30 pm

Stents and Angioplasty via the Wrist: Not Just Evangelical Anymore

In my newly posted interview with Dr. Ron Caputo of St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center in Syracuse, New York, he answers my question about what’s changed in the transradial approach over the past five years, as follows:

Dr. Ron Caputo

Dr. Ron Caputo

“Transradial has really exploded. We’ve gone from less than 1% of operators knowing or even being interested in transradial to almost the majority of operators now having heard of or interested in doing it. And a significant number of doctors are using transradial now routinely in their practice. The last number I saw was 1% or 2% five years ago to 15-20% of all PCIs are now being done transradially in the U.S. So that’s big.

“When I talked about transradial five years ago, it was basically like I was doing an evangelical session trying to convince people it’s the right thing to do. Now everywhere I go people are doing it and we’re talking about tips and tricks. Docs have gone from talking about ‘how do you start a radial program’ to ‘these are commonly encountered problems and here’s how you deal with them.’ So it’s really evolved.” Continue reading →

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Filed under Interviews, Transradial Approach

June 30, 2013 · 1:43 pm

Past, Present & Future of Transradial Angioplasty with Dr. Ferdinand Kiemeneij

Dr. Ferdinand KiemeneijOn the occasion of the 20th anniversary of transradial intervention (TRI), I talked with Dr. Ferdinand Kiemeneij, “the father of transradial intervention” who practices interventional cardiology at Onze Lieve Vrouwe Gasthuis (OLVG), Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

We covered a wide range of topics regarding TRI, where angioplasty and stents are placed via the wrist, and we’ve just posted the two-part interview on Angioplasty.Org. Continue reading →

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Filed under Cost Effectiveness, Global Trends, History, Innovators, Interviews, Japan, Patient Experience, Stent, Transradial Approach

June 25, 2013 · 7:37 pm

Training is Key to Adoption of Transradial Wrist Approach to PCI

J. Dawn Abbott, MD

J. Dawn Abbott, MD

An Editor’s perspective piece about the transradial (wrist) approach to angioplasty and stents appears in the current issue of “Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions.”

Penned by Associate Editor J. Dawn Abbott, MD, the article, titled “Diffusion of Innovations and Adoption of Transradial Intervention,” explores why it has taken so long (and continues to) for the transradial approach to be adopted widely in the U.S., given that the evidence from clinical trials has been clear, and that the economic and patient comfort benefits are evident. Continue reading →

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Filed under Global Trends, Innovators, Transradial Approach