Ultrasound Guided Vascular Access Practical Issues (Pictorial Essay) - Abstract
Ultrasound-guided vascular access is rapidly becoming a more critical topic as critical care medicine systems struggle with an increasing number of patients with vascular access problems. Depending on the situation up to 50% of the patients may have no peripheral vascular access sites or access is very difficult to obtain, which can lead to many complications such as bleeding, pneumothorax or prolonged procedure. Aggravating factors are the increase in obesity, longer lifespan in the case of chronic diseases and the increasing use of corrosive drugs that contain chemotherapeutic agents. The ability to utilize ultrasound guidance for vascular access is an important skill and like in many procedures, such as securing an airway or relocating a dislocated joint, a toolkit of options is often required as multiple sites may need to be checked in order to find a feasible site for cannulation. In this pictorial essay, we describe multiple ultrasound guided vascular access approaches along with best practice suggestions.