Percutaneous Femoral Cannulation and Decannulation Using A Plug-Based Vascular Closure Device in Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery

Minimally invasive cardiac surgery such as a mitral valve procedure requires femoral arterial cannulation for extracorporeal circulation access. Currently, surgical cutdown and arterial puncture under direct vision comprise  the predominant technique. However, surgical incision with cutdown in the groin has been associated with an increased risk for seroma and infection.

Percutaneous femoral cannulation is an alternative to surgical cutdown. We have previously shown that femoral arterial cannulation using a plug-based vascular closure device in minimally invasive mitral valve surgery is a safe technique that decreases traditional complications frequently seen with surgical cutdown. This video tutorial illustrates percutaneous femoral cannulation and decannulation using a plug-based vascular closure device.

These findings indicate that the technique of percutaneous cannulation presented in this tutorial decreases complications frequently seen with surgical cutdown. The risk of conversion to surgical cutdown iswas low. The risk of stenosis of the femoral artery seems to be reduced if distal perfusion is confirmed by ultrasound at the end of the procedure.