ABSTRACT
ACCESS SITE The choice of access site is influenced by the end organ to be investigated or treated, the size of the catheters to be used, and the success and complication rates associated with each approach. Most diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in the United States utilize femoral access, in contrast to other parts of the world where coronary procedures are now most commonly performed via the radial approach. The brachial approach is a distant third in the terms of frequency, followed by a number of relatively uncommon or rare arterial access routes, including retrograde popliteal, axillary, translumbar aortic, direct carotid, direct left ventricular apex, and direct infrapopliteal access.
