Clinical application of ultrasound guided central venous catheterization via the axillary vein

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Objective To evaluate the ultrasound guidance method in central venous catheterization (CVC) via the axillary vein.Methods Totally 1369 CVC patients in our center from November 2010 to October 2012 were enrolled in this study.They were randomly divided into two groups based on their different procedures:ultrasound group (n =687):the central veins were assessed using ultrasound,and catheters were placed via axillary vein with ultrasound guidance ; and control group (n =682):CVC was performed using the anatomical landmark method.The operation time,one-attempt success rate,complications,and malposition rate were compared between these two groups.Results The ultrasound group had significantly shorter operation duration than the control group [(7.8± 2.2) min vs (8.4 ± 1.7) min,P =0.000],higher one-attempt success rate [(96.0％ (659/687) vs 81.7％ (557/682),P =0.000],and lower complications and malposition rate [0.6％ (4/687) vs3.7％ (25/682),P=0.000; 0.6％ (4/687) vs2.1％ (14/682),P=0.017,respectively].Conclusions Compared with the conventional landmark method via subclavical vein,ultrasound-guided CVC via axillary vein method can effectively increase success rate,decrease operation duration,attempts of puncture,and complication rate,and avoid catheter malposition.Therefore,the ultrasound method can improve the safety and accuracy of the CVC procedure and deserves wider clinical application. Key words: Ultrasound; Axillary vein; Central venous catheterization