Complications Associated with Transulnar Approach in Patients undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Interventions

Aim: To examine the prevalence of complications related with transulnar approach in patients undergoing elective percutaneous coronary interventions. Study Design: Cross-sectional/observational study. Place & Duration: The study was conducted at cardiology department of Cat A Hospital Batkhela and Fauji Foundation Hospital Peshawar for six months duration from January 2020 to December 2020. Methods: One hundred and eighteen patients of both genders with ages 20 to 75 years who underwent percutaneous coronary interventions were included. Patients’ detailed demographics including age, sex, BMI and com-morbidities were recorded after taking informed written consent from all the patients. All the patients had percutaneous coronary procedure through transulnar approach and periprocedural complications were examined. Data was analyzed using SPSS 24.0. Results: Out of 118 patients 85 (72.03%) were males and 33 (27.97%) were females with mean age of 55.74±11.71 years. Mean BMI was 28.09±7.33 kg/m2. Hypertension was the most common morbidity found in 63 (53.4%) patients followed by diabetes mellitus and smoking. Minor bleeding was the commonest complication found in 28 (23.7%) patients followed by ulnar artery occlusion, excessive bleeding, ulnar nerve injury and hematoma in 10 (8.5%), 8 (6.8%), 6 (5.08%) and 2 (2.5%) patients respectively. Conclusion: It is concluded that transulnar approach for coronary interventions is safe and effective with fewer rate of complications. Keywords: Coronary Intervention, Angiography, Transulnar Approach, Complications.