Ultrasound assisted central venous catheter insertion

Central venous cannulation is performed for vascular access, total parenteral nutrition, infusion of irritant drugs, measurement of central venous pressure (CVP), cardiac catheterization, pulmonary artery catheterization and transvenous cardiac pacing. Over the past few years, ultrasound has increasingly gained importance and its role in critical care, especially in vascular cannulation, has now become established. Realtime ultrasound guidance has been shown to increase the success rate and decrease the incidence of complications associated with the insertion of a central venous catheter (CVC) among adults. Point-of-care ultrasound machines with different types of transducers are available. These machines are portable and can thus be used anywhere in the hospital. Another advantage is that they can be placed closer to the operator performing the procedure.