ABSTRACT
Vascular Complications Several complications can occur at the arterial site of catheter insertion that cause significant patient discomfort, increased length of stay, and increased health care costs. Vascular access site complications are not uncommon, but only about 0.5% of cases require specific intervention. The majority of these complications, including arterial thrombosis, dissection, uncontrolled or retroperitoneal bleeding, and hematoma formation, commonly occur during or within hours following catheterization. Development of a pseudoaneurysm or arteriovenous fistula, however, may not manifest for several days. In general, arterial thrombosis is more common with radial access, whereas other vascular complications are more frequent with femoral or brachial approaches (6,36). Treatment of vascular complications is often conservative for hematomas but surgical intervention or interventional techniques are required for arterial thrombosis, arteriovenous fistulas, large or expanding pseudoaneurysms, and retroperitoneal bleeds not responsive to supportive care (52).
