Ultrasound-Guided Infraclavicular Axillary Vein Cannulation

Background and Objective: Percutaneous central venous cannulation is a common invasive procedure. In comparison with an external landmark technique, the advantages of ultrasound-guided venous access include direct visualization of the anatomy and in vivo visualization of venous cannulation. Methods: We evaluated an ultrasound-guided technique for infraclavicular axillary vein cannulation, focusing on its ease of use, success rate and complications rate. One hundred and twenty patients who submitted to central venous catheter placement were punctured using our technique. The patients were positioned so that their ipsilateral upper limb was abducted at 90° to the longitudinal axis, which makes it possible to visualize the infraclavicular vessels due to the elevation of the clavicle, thereby improving accessibility. Results: Cannulation was successful in all patients. The median time from the start of the first puncture (of the skin) until the aspiration of blood was 15 s (range 7 - 135 s). Both infraclavicular axillary veins were cannulated, and the vein was punctured successfully at the first attempt in 95% of the patients, without complications during the procedure. Conclusion: We propose an ultrasound-guided infraclavicular approach of the axillary vein, with a high success rate and no complications in the present cohort.