Comparision of pain levels of transradial versus transfemoral coronary catheterization: a prospective and randomized study

OBJECTIVE The aim of the present study was to assess access site pain levels of patients undergoing coronary catheterization via transradial route. METHODS We performed a prospective and randomized study in which 408 patients underwent coronary angiography (CAG) and/or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) via transradial approach (TRA) and 428 patients underwent CAG and/or PCI via transfemoral approach (TFA). Pain levels of patients were assessed with Visual Analog Scale (VAS) after catheterization and at 30 days. Student-t, Mann-Whitney U and chi-square tests were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS Patients in the TRA group showed higher VAS scores than those in TFA group after catheterization [CAG alone, 3 (2-5) vs. 1 (1-3), p