Efficacy and Safety of the Distal Radial Artery as an Arterial Blood Sampling Site

Background: Arterial blood sampling is a common clinical procedure, but traditional sampling sites have some limitations. In recent years, distal radial artery (DRA) puncture has been widely used in interventional treatment of cardiovascular diseases and demonstrating certain advantages. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility and safety of blood sampling via the DRA compared with conventional radial artery (CRA) sampling. Methods: This study is a single-center, prospective, randomized controlled trial. Adult subjects requiring blood gas analysis in the intensive care unit of Rushan People’s Hospital from February 2024 to July 2024 were enrolled. The primary end point was to test the noninferiority of first-attempt success rate between the two groups. Secondary end points included blood collection time, hemostasis time, and complications within 24 h. Results: The first-attempt success rates for the DRA ( n = 90) and CRA ( n = 90) groups were 77.8% and 80.0%, respectively, with no statistically significant difference ( P = .72) (mean difference −2.22%; 95% CI: −14.1% to 9.7%). The DRA group had a slightly longer blood collection time than the CRA group ( P < .001) but significantly shorter hemostasis time (86 s vs 215 s, P < .001). There was no significant difference in complication rates within 24 h between the two groups. Conclusion: DRA blood sampling was noninferior to CRA sampling in terms of first-attempt success rate and had the advantage of significantly shorter hemostasis time. This new method was comparable with the traditional method in terms of safety and may provide a valuable alternative for clinical practice.