Vascular closure devices in percutaneous coronary intervention

Complementary to and beyond of manual compression and immobilisation of the patient, vascular closure devices are used to achieve hemostasis of the puncture site in the femoral artery after a cardiovascular procedure. The main advantage of vascular closure devices is in achieving complete hemostasis with similar efficacy as classic manual compression, but with a significantly shorter period of immobilisation. Additionally, utilisation of vascular closure devices result in a higher level of patient comfort and simplification of patient health care. The risk of adverse events after with vascular closure devices is usually low and device-specific. Costs of vascular closure devices are an important issue. However, numerous studies suggest that use of vascular closure devices is associated with a reduction in the post-PCI length of hospital stay and proves to be cost-saving across a variety of vascular risk profiles. This article reviews advantages and drawbacks of the use of vascular closure devices after coronary angiography and percutaneous coronary interventions.