The Effect of Post Coronary Angiography Bed-Rest Time on Vascular Complications

Abstract

Background: Coronary angiography is frequently applied for diagnostic purposes in patients with coronary artery disease. Be that as it may, there is still no consensus about the optimal time for the ambulation of patients following femoral arterial puncture. We sought to compare 6 hours of complete bed rest and 2 hours of complete bed rest in patients after angiography.

Methods: This randomized quasi–experimental study was performed in 120 patients candidated for coronary angiography. The patients were divided into experimental and control groups randomly. Primarily demographic data were obtained from both groups before intervention was carried out for them. The arterial sheath was removed immediately after the procedure. Hemostasis was achieved by manual compression and maintained with sandbags. Early ambulation was attempted after two hours of supine bed rest following sheath removal. The incidence of bleeding and insertion site complications was documented at 24 hours and subsequently at 30 days post-procedure. 

Results: Our findings were indicative of no significant difference between the two groups in terms of gender, age, body mass index, catheter size, total procedure duration, total hemostasis time, history of anticoagulant drug use, and coagulation tests before angiography. Pre-ambulation bleeding occurred in 2 patients in each of the two groups. Post-ambulation bleeding occurred in 2 patients in the control group and 1 in the experimental group. Whereas there was no incidence of large pre-ambulation hematoma in the control group, there was one case in the experimental group. There was no case of post-ambulation hematoma, however, in either group, and nor was there any late bleeding or vascular complication.

Conclusion: Ambulation 2 hours after angiography via the femoral site is feasible and safe with the same incidence of insertion site complication as that of 6 hours of bed rest. Therefore, an early ambulation protocol can shorten hospital stay without significant vascular complications.