Use Ultrasound When Placing a Radial Artery Line

In a meta-analysis, ultrasound guidance led to more successfully placed radial artery lines than palpation alone.

Radial artery catheters are frequently placed in the emergency department (ED) and intensive care unit (ICU) for hemodynamic monitoring and arterial blood gas analysis. A number of small studies have compared ultrasound-guided placement of radial artery catheters to traditional placement via palpation. These authors conducted a meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials comparing the two techniques to determine the relative success rates of first-attempt arterial cannulation.

Eleven trials involving 803 patients (502 adults in seven studies and 301 children in four) met the inclusion criteria. Ultrasound guidance was associated with a significantly higher rate of first-attempt success than palpation (relative risk, 1.47). This result hel…

Reviewing Author

Ali S. Raja, MD, MBA, MPH, FACEP

Disclosures

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesSociety for Academic Emergency Medicine (Board Member); American College of Healthcare Executives – Massachusetts (Board Member)

Ali S. Raja, MD, MBA, MPH, FACEP

Disclosures

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesSociety for Academic Emergency Medicine (Board Member); American College of Healthcare Executives – Massachusetts (Board Member)

Use Ultrasound When Placing a Radial Artery Line

Topics

Reviewing Author