OUTPATIENT ANGIOGRAPHY - A PROSPECTIVE-STUDY OF 3 FRENCH CATHETERS INUNSELECTED PATIENTS

Financial constraints and bed shortages led to a re-evaluation of the policy of routine hospital admission for angiography. All patients ref erred for peripheral and renal angiography over an 8 month period had the procedure performed as an outpatient with a 3 F catheter. Patients were kept supine for 1 h and discharged 2 h after the angiogram. No s ignificant complications resulted from the early mobilization of 219 p atients who had outpatient 3 F angiograghy. It was a safe, well tolera ted procedure, resulting in images of consistently adequate quality.