Femoral Sheath Removals - Post cardiac/periphearl/EP procedures

Femoral Sheath Removals

I am the Cardiovascular Invasive Educator for Invasive Cardiology, 12 cath/peripheral/EP labs, three campuses. I am searching for information about femoral sheath removals. My cath lab performs @ 6700 coronary/peripheral/EP procedures/year. I am starting to revise the femoral arterial/venous sheath removal policy and would like other current practices.

Some info effecting our femoral sheath removals:

Coronary caths - 55% femoral approach, 90% receive AngioSeal (includes a few Perclose) (diagnostic and interventions) (radial compression band used for radial procedures)

Peripheral - 90% femoral approach

EP procedures - 90% have femoral sheaths

Our Pre/Post patient care unit, ICS (Invasive Cardiology Staging unit) will pull femoral sheaths (both diagnostic and interventional) for same-day-procedure patients and patients waiting for a bed/room. All critical care unit patients go directly to a unit. CICU (coronary intensive care unit) and our cardiac telemetry patient units also have Technical Partners (TPs) that have been trained to pull sheaths.

We have Technical Partners, like nurses aids, that have been trained to removal femoral sheaths, with a complication rate of

Some questions… Who pulls your femoral sheaths? What are your hold times? Do you routinely use Femostops, C-clamps, other devices? What is your annual competency… review during education days, minimum monthly requirements, etc? What physician support do you have after hours, nights, weekends? Does you facility have a femoral sheath removal policy for Cath Lab and another for the hospital, or just one? Any information will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!