Pressure Ulcer: An Unreported Complication of the Safeguard ® Hemostasis Device. No Need to Crack Under Pressure

Diagnostic cardiac catheterizations are predominantly performed using the femoral artery access. Several devices have been developed to aid in the closure of femoral arteriotomy.

Safeguard^® is a new pneumatic compression device that has been developed for compression of the femoral artery after brief manual compression. We hereby report the case of an elderly patient who underwent a percutaneous coronary intervention via the femoral artery in whom a Safeguard^™ device, left overnight because of persistent oozing, provoked an extensive pressure ulcer. Knowledge of this potential complication is important to minimize its occurance and provide appropriate treatment.