[Severe infection following arteriotomy with Angio-Seal].

Diagnostic or interventional femoral artery catheterizations are more and more commonly practiced, so are haemostatic puncture closure devices, used to prevent bleeding complications and decrease hospital length of stay. Complications, such as infections, have been reported after using haemostatic puncture closure devices. We report the case of a female patient presenting with severe infection after Angio-Seal use: femoral artery infection with sepsis and multiple organ failure, septic embolism with embolic skin abscesses, bacterial arthritis and inferior limb necrosis. Studies comparing the infectious risk of manual compression versus haemostatic puncture closure devices are contradictory. Nevertheless, aseptic rules must be strictly observed. Indications for these devices concern only patients with high risk of hemorrhage and should be discussed for immunodepressed, diabetic, or obese patients.
(Copyright 2009 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)