Is Angio-Seal the real deal?

By Joe McAdory

Published: January 29, 2009

Anyone needing a cardiac catheterization in the near future should be at peace knowing the procedure is rather simple (compared to open heart or brain surgery) and it could very well have you back home in your bed that afternoon.

But one lingering concern from my experience earlier this week is the means by which the doctors sealed my femoral artery. It’s called an Angio-Seal and it’s supposedly the newest and safest trend in catheterization procedures. Four days later, my inner though still feels like it was smashed by a baseball bat and I developed bizarre blisters an inch from the actual puncture spot. One of these blisters burst, creating a delightful medley of blood of other bodily ooze juice. This area is now susceptible to infection, though I’m working to prevent that from happening.

Why do I have these blisters? Is it an allergic reaction to a foreign device inside my leg? Why does my leg still hurt? Just wondering.