Radial Artery Line

[Cookie24]

On August 4 I had ablation #3. A radial artery line was used to monitor pressure and blood gases during the ablation. About 3 hours after the ablation, my hand was numb and tingling and a little cold. The nurse was concerned as she had difficulty reading a pulse. It was scary. On-call doc came in and a Doppler ultrasound was done. The blood flow could be heard. Numbness was about 15 minutes. They gave my morning dose of Diltiazem early. They figured a vasospasm. My EP came in next day, examined hand and fingers, and ordered Duplex ultrasound. Checked out ok. A week later my wrist is a little sore and stiff like a sprain. Spectacular bruise on forearm. I will call the EP office on Monday. Does anyone have experience with this? I

[BobD Volunteer]

I had an angiogram done via right radial artery in 2017. On completion the usual air bracelet was used to compress the wound for two hours with pressure released a little at a time.

Eventually I was told I could get dressed and go home but whilst doing so the wound opened with some spectacular results. Long story short after another four hours I was able to go home but have not had a pulse in that wrist since. (great for causing consternation amongst new doctors. lol )

An EP told me that maybe 2% of people have this arterial stenosis and that there is no major problem as the artery the other side feeds the hand. If I raise both hands above my head for a short while and then compare them the right is paler than the left but no other issues and it all works fine although when using an engraving tool for more than say half an hour I can get cramp in that hand.

[Cookie24 in reply to BobD]

Wow, no pulse. The results of my ultrasound indicated no stenosis. Funny, I am not even worrying about my heart as it is calm after a few short episodes. For this ablation, I went to one of the top EPs in the U.S. Just worrying about my hand and foreman! I want to get back to golf. lol Thanks Bob

[Samazeuilh2]

I haven't experienced it, but when I was researching angiograms ( I still haven't had one yet) I read that arterial spasms were common and could be painful. If not addressed properly they can lead to dangerous complications. Yours appears to have been addressed, but I would continue to monitor carefully and report concerns immediately. See:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

[Cookie24 in reply to Samazeuilh2]

Thanks, I have been reading everything about radial artery spasms.

[Samazeuilh2 in reply to Cookie24]

Here is another article which you might find useful: uscjournal.com/articles/vas...

[Cookie24 in reply to Samazeuilh2]

Thank you. I have been fretting about this huge bruise and soreness on my forearm. There is no numbness and I have function, but pain flare ups and can't quite bend my wrist back like the other arm. It seems like a long time now - 12 days. I remember in recovery the nurse squeezing my wrist for a long time. He said it was taking longer than normal.

[Samazeuilh2 in reply to Cookie24]

If you look on a website called angioplasty.org (patient forum) there are a lot of reports of this sort of thing- angiograms and ablations have a great deal in common in terms of technique. You could post a question on this forum. The general advice seems to be to get it seen by the original doctor (since he knows exactly what went on during the procedure) as soon as possible. In your situation I would be pretty insistent that they address the problem. Hope you manage to get the situation resolved.

[MrJD in reply to Samazeuilh2]

Excellent link.

[Mrsvemb]

I had the same problem as Bobd. Never had a pulse in that wrist after the angiogram. Mine resulted in infections several months later.

Eventually, I saw a vascular surgeon who said I had a false aneurysm and needed surgery.There was a large clot and the artery had pinged up my arm so could not be rejoined. Surgeon told me no BP cuffs on that arm and never let anyone put a needle on that arm either.

As Bob says the ulna artery feeds the arm. I do notice if I hold a phone to my ear with that arm for say 20 minutes I get pins and needles.

Keep an eye on it and check for the pulse.

[Samazeuilh2 in reply to Mrsvemb]

This is a very concerning symptom which they give very little warning about prior to the procedure. I think it’s called an occlusion.