In plain language
In trials of coronary procedures, radial access added about 37 seconds of fluoroscopy time compared with femoral access, with no significant difference in dose area product; the gap has shrunk over time. Staff dose was not measured directly.
At a glance
- Type of study
- Systematic review or meta-analysis, Meta-analysis
- Who was studied
- Patients
- Size
- n = 11,611 patients (8 RCTs)
- Summary based on
- the abstract
What it found
Transradial access had slightly longer fluoroscopy time than transfemoral access in randomized trials.
Key figures: WMD 0.62 min (37 s) (95% confidence interval (CI): [0.08-1.17], p = 0.023)
No significant difference in dose area product between access routes.
Key figures: WMD 1.94 Gy.cm2 (95% CI: [-2.1 to 5.9], p = 0.35)
The fluoroscopy time gap between radial and femoral access has narrowed over time.
Key figures: 1.6 min (96 s) in 1996 to 0.5 min (30 s) in 2020
The fluoroscopy time difference was larger in US studies than in studies from outside the US.
Key figures: 0.88 min (52 s) outside US vs 2.1 min (126 s) US
Pooled observational and randomized data (83,990 patients) showed a similar trend.
Key figures: 83,990 patients
Limits to keep in mind
Outcomes are patient-level surrogates (fluoroscopy time, dose-area product (DAP)) rather than measured staff dose; operator exposure was not directly assessed, and the abstract gives limited detail on heterogeneity and study quality.
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How this summary was made
ORSIF prepared this summary with AI assistance from the abstract of the paper. A program then checked that the passage supporting each finding appears word for word in that source. A person has not yet reviewed each summary, so read the original before relying on a number. ORSIF summarizes research and does not endorse any product or company. Report a problem with this summary.
Prepared November 3, 2026.