Patient Information
After femoral artery angiographic procedures, the femoral artery must be closed to prevent bleeding. You are scheduled to receive the Femoral Introducer Sheath and Hemostasis (FISH™) Device.
What is the FISH™ Device?
The FISH™ Device is used to gain access into your femoral artery at the start of the procedure and then close the pucture site in your artery after your procedure. The FISH™ Device is a porcine biomaterial known as SIS (Small Intestinal Submucosa), which comes from pigs and will aid in healing your artery. A small amount of the SIS patch is placed inside the femoral artery and the rest of the patch sits just outside the artery under your skin - this creates a plug for the artery, stopping the flow of blood. The SIS will remain in place until the femoral artery is healed. The healing process takes about 30 days. The patch will not need to be removed. Instead, the SIS will remodel to resemble the cells of your blood vessel. The sutures used in the SIS patch will be resorbed. It is not unusual to feel a small pea-sized knot in the groin as the artery heals.
Why is the FISH™ Device being used on me?
Your physician chose to use the FISH™ Device in the femoral artery instead of using manual compression (using the hands) or mechanical compression (using a device like a clamp). Using these techniques, the femoral artery is closed by applying pressure directly to the artery for about 15 to 30 minutes followed by 2 to 6 hours of bed rest. By using the FISH™ Device, bleeding is controlled quickly so that you may get out of bed earlier. Typically, patients are able to get out of bed within about 60 minutes.
How the FISH™ Device works:
