Ultrasonography in Emergency Service, Evaluation of Central Venous Catheterization

Aim: In this study, we aimed to compare patients who underwent anatomic landmarks guided or ultrasound (USG) guided central venous catheterization (CVC) in terms of success rates and complications. Material and Methods: A total of 220 patients were included in the study. Patients were divided into two groups as follows; Group U consisted of patients who underwent USG guided CVC procedure, and Group A consisted of patients who underwent CVC anatomic landmarks guided. Demographic data, CVC procedure technic, complications, and time to successful catheterization were recorded. Results: The results showed a statistically significant difference; the length was less than 20 minutes in Group U. CVC-related complications and the mortality rate were significantly higher in Group A (p<0,01). In the analysis of all the CVCs independently from the location, the jugular vein was most preferred for the central cannulation in both landmarked and USG-guided techniques with a rate of approximately 94 % and 42 %. respectively (p<0,01). Discussion: We found a significant Increase in the success rate and a significant decrease in the complications rate and intervention duration when the USG-guided technique was preferred for central vein cannulation compared with the landmark technique. When USG is available, USG-guided procedure should become the standard for cannulation procedure in ED.