Implementation of radial arterial access for cardiac interventions: a strong case for quality assurance protocols by the nursing staff.

Background: Radial arterial access is becoming increasingly popular for coronary angiography and angioplasty. The technique is, however, more demanding than femoral arterial access, and hemostasis is not care-free. A quality assurance program was run by our nursing staff, with patient follow-up, to monitor radial arterial access implementation in our laboratory.

Vascular access complications after cardiac catheterisation: a nurse-led quality assurance program.

Background: Vascular access complications may be a cause of discomfort, prolonged hospital stay, and impaired outcomes in patients undergoing cardiac catheterisation.

Aims: To assess vascular access complication in our patients with/without the use of closure devices as a first local benchmark for subsequent quality improvement.

Methods: A nurse-led single-centre prospective survey of all vascular access complications in consecutive patients submitted to cardiac catheterisation during 4 months.

[How informed is patient consent to interventional cardiology procedures. A quality assurance survey by the nurses].

Background: A new patient consent form has recently been adopted in our Institution, with a uniformly written text to be used for all medical procedures and interventions. It is accompanied by a separate information sheet, explaining both the details and the risk/benefit profile for each specific procedure/intervention. It should be given to the patient as early as possible after the procedure/intervention is planned.