Can the Perclose suture-mediated closure system be used safely in patients undergoing diagnostic and therapeutic angiography to treat chronic lower extremity ischemia?

Mechanical closure devices for arterial hemostasis after angiography, such as the Perclose suture-mediated closure system, are designed to decrease time to ambulation and improve patient comfort. Although these devices are safe and efficacious, to date there has been little reported about use of the Perclose device in a cohort consisting exclusively of patients with lower extremity peripheral vascular disease. The purpose of this study was to determine the safety and efficacy of routine use of the Perclose system in patients with documented peripheral vascular disease undergoing angiography to treat chronic lower extremity ischemia. The Perclose device was placed for arterial closure after femoral artery access in 500 consecutive patients with documented peripheral vascular disease (ankle-brachial index,