Impact of Preprocedural Stress Ball Use on Radial Artery Outcomes in Elective Coronary Angiography

This randomized, double-blind, controlled trial aims to evaluate the effect of preprocedural hand exercise using a stress ball on the incidence of radial artery spasm and other vascular complications in patients undergoing elective coronary angiography via the transradial approach. A total of 400 adult patients scheduled for elective diagnostic or interventional coronary procedures will be randomly assigned to either an intervention group (preprocedural stress ball exercise) or a control group (standard care). The intervention group will perform hand exercises with a soft stress ball for 5 minutes, three times daily, for three consecutive days prior to the procedure. The primary outcomes are the incidence of radial artery spasm during the procedure and the overall rate of radial artery complications. Secondary outcomes include patient-reported pain score (visual analog scale) during the procedure and the incidence of radial artery occlusion at 7 days, assessed by Doppler ultrasonography. This study aims to determine whether this simple, low-cost strategy can reduce radial artery-related complications and improve patient comfort during transradial coronary procedures.