Percutaneous access and closure of femoral artery access sites associated with endoluminal repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms.

PURPOSE To report longer follow-up and further experience using the Prostar XL Percutaneous Vascular Surgery (PVS) device for access and closure of large bore femoral artery access sites during endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). METHODS One hundred forty-four patients (128 men; mean age 72 years, range 56-89) undergoing endovascular AAA repair had percutaneous access and closure of their 16-F femoral artery access sites using a 10-F PVS device. The first 54 patients were enrolled in the phase III trial of the AneuRx stent-graft for AAA treatment. RESULTS The femoral artery access site was successfully closed in 136 (94.4%) patients, with only 8 patients in whom adequate hemostasis could not be obtained. One-month follow-up was available in 144 patients, 6-month in 100, and 1-year in 59. No groin or lower extremity complications have been observed in any patient who had successful closure of the femoral artery access site. CONCLUSIONS Large-bore femoral artery access sites can be percutaneously repaired using this device, which minimizes the invasiveness of the endograft procedure.