If you never wondered about the why, let alone the how, of French sizing before, you might reconsider after reading the preceding report. The French scale is based on catheter circumference in millimeters where 1 French in circumference is equal to 0.33 mm in diameter. Joseph-Frederic-Benoit Charriere, a 19th century Parisian maker of surgical instruments, syringes, and catheters, devised this system of sizing. Other than this all being related to the wonder of n, one can only speculate on why this indirect measure of size was devised. With that mathematical background in hand, now taken to the interventional suite, Dr. Mamas and coworkers described their early experience with over-the-wire sheathless 6.5 French guide catheters for routine and "more than routine" coronary interventions. The report not only describes the feasibility, features, and potential drawbacks of using a sheathless guiding catheter for coronary interventions from the radial artery, but also why you or I might want to consider doing so [1].
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