Central Venous Line Placement Research Articles

The Development of an Innovative Crowdsourced Resident Procedure Team Model to Improve Bedside Procedural Proficiency in the Inpatient Setting.

Background Bedside procedures are a necessary skill for many residents. Practice changes, including the discontinuation of a minimum number of procedures required by the American Board of Internal Medicine, may have resulted in decreased incentive for residents to seek procedural opportunities. Objective To improve residents' procedural output and confidence in abdominal paracentesis, arterial and central venous line placement, nasogastric intubation, and ultrasound-guided peripheral intravenous catheter insertions (USPIV). Methods A novel Resident Procedure Team (RPT) model was created using crowdsourced proficient (having completed ≥5 procedures) near-peers in combination with peer-led USPIV simulation workshops to increase the number of supervising residents available. Procedure logs and the number of residents who became qualified to perform and supervise procedures were tracked from July 2018 to June 2022 and compared before and after the implementation of the RPT in July 2020. Results Implementing the novel RPT model significantly increased the number of procedures performed (1875 procedures post-RPT vs 1292 pre-RPT; P=.02). Abdominal paracentesis increased from 411 to 482 (17.3%), central venous line placement increased from 344 to 401 (16.6%), USPIV increased from 318 to 389 (22.3%), arterial line placement increased from 189 to 360 (90.5%), and nasogastric intubation increased from 30 to 243 (710.0%). Resident confidence levels increased significantly after RPT-led USPIV workshops (P<.05 for all). Conclusions Implementation of a novel, crowdsourced, resident-led procedure team and peer-led USPIV workshops helped increase the number of procedures performed by residents.

Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infection Risk Factors in a Pediatric Population.

Central venous line (CVL) placement in children is often necessary for treatment and may be complicated by central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI). We hypothesize that line type and clinical and demographic factors at line placement impact CLABSI rates. This is a single-institution case-control study of pediatric patients (≤18years old) admitted between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2019. Case patients had a documented CLABSI. Control patients had a CVL placed during the study period and were matched by sex and age in a 2:1 ratio. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed. We identified 78 patients with a CLABSI and 140 patients without a CLABSI. After controlling for pertinent covariates, patients undergoing tunneled or non-tunneled CVL had higher odds of CLABSI than those undergoing PICC (OR 2.51, CI 1.12-5.64 and OR 3.88, CI 1.06-14.20 respectively), and patients undergoing port placement had decreased odds of CLABSI compared to PICC (OR .05, CI 0.01-.51). There were lower odds of CLABSI when lines were placed for intravenous medications compared to those placed for solid tumor malignancy (OR .15, CI .03-.79). Race and age were not statistically significant risk factors. Central lines placed for medication administration compared to solid tumors, PICC compared to tunneled and non-tunneled central lines, and ports compared to PICC were associated with lower odds of CLABSI. Future improvement efforts should focus on PICC and port placement in appropriate patients to decrease CLABSI rates.

Iatrogenic injury to the subclavian artery during central venous access.

Subclavian artery injury during central venous line placement is a potentially life-threatening complication. Due to historically high mortality rates with attempted manual pressure for haemostasis, the current favoured method of repair is by open or endovascular means. This case describes the management of a central venous catheter placed through the internal jugular vein into the subclavian artery via a supraclavicular puncture. CT angiography revealed the arterial injury located 1 cm distal to the vertebral artery origin. Under fluoroscopic guidance in an endovascular hybrid theatre, a covered stent was deployed across the affected segment of the subclavian artery which resulted in occlusion of the vertebral artery origin to attain safe proximal seal. This was done during simultaneous removal of the catheter and manual pressure over the internal jugular vein. There were no complications and the patient recovered well post-procedure. This case highlights the importance of appropriate ultrasound techniques for central catheter insertion for precise visualisation to prevent inadvertent injury to distal structures. CT angiography is useful in planning endovascular management. Occlusion of the vertebral artery in this case did not result in any neurological complications.

Short Axis In-Plane Ultrasound-Guided Technique for Internal Jugular Vein Cannulation

BackgroundReal-time ultrasound (US)-guided venipuncture has become the standard of care due to its reduced complications and higher success rate. There are various techniques for US-guided cannulation of the internal jugular vein (IJV); the transversal and longitudinal views are the most widely used. There is a less commonly used technique that combines the benefits of both methods. DiscussionTwo main techniques for central line US-guided cannulation of the IJV are based on the location of the probe relative to the vessel and are known as the transversal view and the longitudinal view. The transversal view may make it difficult to identify the tip of the needle as it enters the vein, and the longitudinal view may not allow for visualization of surrounding structures. A third and less commonly used technique, the short axis in-plan view, aims to combine the benefits of both previous methods. In this technique, the entire needle can be tracked in real time as it enters the IJV, while also providing visualization of surrounding structures. ConclusionsThe short axis in-plane view technique for central venous line placements allows for real-time US-guided needle venipuncture with simultaneous visualization of surrounding structures.

Epidemiological Analysis of the Emergency Vascular Access in Pediatric Trauma Patients: Single-Center Experience of Intravenous, Intraosseous, Central Venous, and Arterial Line Placements

Vascular access in severely injured pediatric trauma patients is associated with time-critical circumstances and low incidences, whereas only scarce literature on procedure performance is available. The purpose of this study was to analyze the performance of different vascular access procedures from the first contact at the scene until three hours after admission. Intubated pediatric trauma patients admitted from the scene to a single Level I trauma center between 2008 and 2019 were analyzed regarding intravenous (IV) and intraosseous (IO) accesses, central venous catheterization (CVC) and arterial line placement. Sixty-five children with a median age of 14 years and median injury severity score of 29 points were included, of which 62 (96.6%) underwent successful prehospital IV or IO access by emergency medical service (EMS) physicians, while it failed in two children (3.1%). On emergency department (ED) admission, IV cannulas of prehospital EMS had malfunctions or were dislodged in seven of 55 children (12.7%). IO access was performed in 17 children without complications, and was associated with younger age, higher injury severity and higher mortality. Fifty-two CVC placements (58 attempts) and 55 arterial line placements (59 attempts) were performed in 45 and 52 children, respectively. All CVC and arterial line placements were performed in the ED, operating room (OR) and intensive care unit (ICU). Ten mechanical complications related to CVC placement (17.8%) and seven related to arterial line placement (10.2%) were observed, none of which had outcome-relevant consequences. This case series suggests that mechanical issues of vascular access may frequently occur, underlining the need for special preparedness in prehospital, ED, ICU and OR environments.

Simulation in cardiac surgery: current evidence

Simulation permeated healthcare curricula and has become a powerful teaching tool to improve manual and cognitive skills in medicine today. Amongst other skill sets, cardiothoracic anaesthetists are expected to make safe life-saving decisions to improve patient outcome during rare critical events. These stressful situations require leadership and problem solving skills from all medical personnel, which traditional learning by “apprenticeship” may not cover. This narrative review looks at current simulation modalities used in cardiothoracic anaesthesia, which include critical scenarios for the placement of arterial and central venous lines, as well as the interpretation of the pulmonary artery catheter derived data. Simulation in transthoracic and transoesophageal echocardiography has proven to be very useful. Of particular importance in cardiothoracic clinical practice is simulation for cardiopulmonary bypass, veno-arterial and veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Trainees’ working hour regulations may affect patient safety, because of decreased exposure to real life patient-related scenarios. The complexity of patient interventions in a high-stakes discipline like cardiothoracic anaesthesia may necessitate the development of further simulation-enhanced educational processes.

Procedural Curriculum to Verify Intern Competence Prior to Patient Care

Emergency medicine (EM) programs train residents to perform clinical procedures with known iatrogenic risks. Currently, there is no established framework for graduating medical students to demonstrate procedural competency prior to matriculating into residency. Mastery-based learning has demonstrated improved patient-safety outcomes. Incorporation of this framework allows learners to demonstrate procedural competency to a predetermined standard in the simulation laboratory prior to performing invasive procedures on patients in the clinical setting. This study describes the creation and implementation of a competency-based procedural curriculum for first-year EM residents using simulation to prepare learners for supervised participation in procedures during patient care. Checklists were developed internally for five high-risk procedures (central venous line placement, endotracheal intubation, lumbar puncture, paracentesis, chest tube placement). Performance standards were developed using Mastery-Angoff methods. Minimum passing scores were determined for each procedure. Over a two-year period, 38 residents underwent baseline assessment, deliberate practice, and post-testing against the passing standard score to demonstrate procedural competency in the simulation laboratory during intern orientation. We found that 37% of residents required more than one attempt to achieve the minimum passing score on some procedures, however, all residents ultimately met the competency standard on all five high-risk procedures in simulation. One critical incident of central venous catheter guideline retention was identified in the simulation laboratory during the second year of implementation. All incoming first-year EM residents demonstrated procedural competence on five different procedures using a mastery-based educational framework. A competency-based EM curriculum allowed for demonstration of procedural competence prior to resident participation in supervised clinical patient care.

Timing of Central Venous Line Insertion During Induction in Children With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

Central venous lines (CVL) in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) provide comfortable administration of intensive chemotherapy and blood sampling. The optimal time for the insertion of CVL in patients with ALL during induction therapy is controversial. This study aimed to investigate the frequency of CVL-related complications in children with ALL concerning the time of CVL insertion. We reviewed the records of 52 pediatric ALL patients with CVL. CVL placement before or on treatment day 15 was defined as "early insertion", and after treatment day 15 was defined as "late insertion". Demographics, preoperative blood counts, type of central line, time of CVL placement, CVL-related complications, and blood counts during complications were all noted. All the data were collected from those with the first catheter use. CVL was placed ≤15 days in 26 patients (50%) and after 15 days in 26 patients (50%). Regarding the infection rates, no statistical difference was found between early and late CVL-inserted groups (P=n.s.). Five patients developed thrombosis, and risk was found to be similar between early and late CVL-inserted groups (P=n.s.). Catheter-related mechanical complications were recorded in 7 patients (3 in early and 4 in late CVL-inserted group, (P=n.s.). The present study showed no relation between the timing of CVL placement during induction therapy and the occurrence of infection and thrombosis. Our results suggest that CVL can be placed safely at the time of diagnosis or early induction treatment to provide a comfortable administration of chemotherapy and decrease painful blood samplings.

Beware of a duplicate superior vena cava

A duplicate superior vena cava (SVC) with a persistent left SVC (PLSVC) is present in 0.3% of the population with an incidence as high as 10-11% in patients with congenital heart disease. While a PLSVC is rare and usually asymptomatic, clinicians should be aware of this anomaly during central line placement due to potential complications. Our case involves a 76-year-old man with end-stage renal disease, on peritoneal dialysis (PD), who was admitted to our hospital for treatment of generalized peritonitis secondary to a descending colon perforation. He underwent left hemicolectomy and removal of an infected PD catheter. During preparation for discharge, he underwent hemodialysis catheter replacement. During the procedure, it was noted that the wire did not traverse the midline. A subsequent venogram with contrast showed a duplicate SVC draining into the coronary sinus. The catheter was inserted into the proximal left SVC and verified with fluoroscopy. One hour later, the patient went into atrial fibrillation and death ensued. Persistent superior vena cava, if known or suspected, requires additional caution in central venous line placement to avoid potentially fatal complications, such as arrhythmias. Immediate removal and reassessment of an alternative access site should be pursued to avoid secondary complications.

112 Improving Neonatal Vascular Access in Surgical Patients

Abstract Aim Many neonatal surgical patients require intravenous (IV) access for &amp;gt;1 week. Technical, organisational, and cultural factors reduced placement of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs). Most babies requiring parenteral nutrition/central medications undergo central venous line placement under general anaesthetic (GA). Repeated bedside cannulation causes distress to patients and parents, with workload burden resulting in extravasation injuries. We aim to reduce these factors by increasing PICC usage in a ward setting. Method We followed a Plan, Do, Study, Act cycle over 4 months. Results Final results pending. The intervention has occurred, in 1 month we will re-measure: We will measure risks of increasing PICC placement (through an iterative process), including: Conclusions The initial message yielded perceptions that ‘the department is doing things wrong’. The message of PICCs adding an ‘extra string to our bow’ was clearer, non-judgemental and with strong rationale for change. Training non-rotating staff promotes sustainability but required senior clinician agreement to procure equipment, delaying our timeline – target completion is in 1 month.

Old Dog, New Trick: Efficacy of Self-Directed Procedural Training for Attending Critical Care Physicians.

BackgroundIn teaching hospitals, the majority of central venous lines (CVL) are placed by trainees, resulting in little opportunity for attending critical care physicians to maintain this procedural skill. Additionally, not all attending critical care physicians have been trained in the most up-to-date method of dynamic ultrasound (US) guided CVL placement. Furthermore, there is no standardized method to assess procedural competency of attending critical care physicians or to train them in the evolving practice of CVL placement. Despite these limitations, attending critical care physicians are ultimately responsible for supervision of CVL placement by trainees.ObjectiveTo assess the utility of an instructional video to impact attending critical care physicians’ competency and confidence in dynamic US guided CVL placement.MethodsA pre-post intervention study was conducted at an academic medical center. Attending critical care physicians were first asked to obtain CVL access on a gelatin model using US guidance. They then participated in the intervention, which consisted of watching a short instructional video demonstrating a method of dynamic US guided CVL placement. They were then asked to obtain access again, this time using the described method. All CVL placements were video recorded to assess competency in dynamic US guided CVL placement as well as the time required to obtain CVL access. Two blinded and independent reviewers evaluated each video with discrepancies resolved by a third reviewer. Participants were also surveyed pre and post intervention to assess their confidence in performing and supervising CVL placement.ResultsA total of 21 attending critical care physicians were included. Pre-intervention, four used dynamic US guidance compared to 16 post-intervention (P < .001). Confidence in both CVL placement and supervision improved post-intervention (P = .03 each). Time required to obtain CVL access did not differ significantly pre and post intervention. The majority (20/21) believed there should be required competency testing for CVL placement.ConclusionsPre-intervention dynamic US guided CVL competency was poor in this sample of attending critical care physicians but improved significantly with an instructional video intervention. This study suggests there is a role for procedural competency testing among attending critical care physicians, and that significant improvement is achievable with relatively minimal instruction.

Surgical management of lesions encountered in the setting of the retroaortic left brachiocephalic vein.

Although the retroaortic left brachiocephalic vein in isolation is of no clinical importance, its recognition in the setting of associated lesions is important. We sought to address issues concerning the influence of isomerism, the establishment of diagnosis, and its importance in various surgical and interventional procedures. A total of 80 published clinical and necropsy studies in the setting of a retroaortic left brachiocephalic vein described 250 patients. Clinical presentation, radiographic, ultrasonographic findings, contrast echocardiography, computed-tomographic angiocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging, and angiocardiography provided the diagnostic information prior to considering the surgical approach to the associated cardiac anomalies. Among 250 reported cases, three-quarters had associated congenitally malformed hearts. Of these 189 patients, all but seven had usual atrial arrangement. Right isomerism was reported in five patients and two patients having left isomerism. Almost two-thirds had tetralogy of Fallot or its variants, over four-fifths had malformations involving the outflow tract, two-thirds had a right aortic arch with two patients having a cervical aortic arch, and onepatient had double aortic arch. Various innovative individualized surgical procedures were employed with an overall perioperative mortality of 3.4%. Although the retroaortic left brachiocephalic vein is asymptomatic, its recognition during clinical investigation should raise the possibility of an association with other malformations, especially right aortic arch, ventricular septal defect, and anomalies of the outflow tracts. We submit that an increased appreciation of this venous anomaly may facilitate surgical planning, endovascular procedures, placement of central venous lines, and transvenous pacemakers.

Critical Care Education and Skills Validation Course for Internal Medicine Physicians in the Military.

Military internist and internal medicine (IM) subspecialist physicians must be prepared to function in both traditional inpatient and outpatient settings, as well as manage critically ill patients within a deployed austere environment. As many critical care procedures are not performed on a routine basis in general IM practice, many active duty IM physicians experience skills degradation and lack confidence in performing these procedures. In order to address this perceived deficiency, the U.S. Army and Air Force Internal Medicine Education and Skills Validation Course was developed to provide essential training in critical care procedures for active duty military IM physicians and subspecialists. Staff internist and subspecialist physicians at multiple military treatment facilities participated in a 2-day simulation-based training course in critical care procedures included in the Army Individual Critical Task Lists and the Air Force Comprehensive Medical Readiness Program. Educational content included high-yield didactic lectures, multi-disciplinary Advanced Cardiac Life Support/Advanced Trauma Life Support high-fidelity simulation scenarios, and competency training/validation in various bedside procedures, including central venous and arterial line placement, trauma-focused ultrasound exam, airway management and endotracheal intubation, chest tube thoracotomy, and mechanical ventilation, among others. A total of 87 staff IM physicians participated in the course with an average of 2-4 years of experience following completion of graduate medical education. Upon course completion, all participants successfully achieved rigorous, checklist-based, standardized validation in all the required procedures. Survey data indicated a significant improvement in overall skills confidence, with 100% of participants indicating improvement in their ability to function independently as deployed medical officers. Broad implementation of this program at military hospitals would improve pre-deployment critical care procedural readiness in military IM physicians.

Declining Procedures in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Using a National Database.

To investigate the change in rate of invasive procedures (endotracheal intubation, central venous catheters, arterial catheters, and peripheral inserted central venous catheters) performed in PICUs per admission over time. Secondarily, to investigate the change in type of respiratory support over time. Retrospective study of prospectively collected data using the Virtual Pediatric Systems (VPS; LLC, Los Angeles, CA) database. North American PICUs. Patients admitted from January 2009 to December 2017. None. There were 902,624 admissions from 161 PICUs included in the analysis. Since 2009, there has been a decrease in rate of endotracheal intubations, central venous catheters placed, and arterial catheters placed and an increase in the rate of peripheral inserted central venous catheter insertion per admission over time after controlling for severity of illness and unit level effects. As compared to 2009, the incident rate ratio for 2017 for endotracheal intubation was 0.90 (95% CI, 0.83-0.98; p = 0.017), for central venous line placement 0.69 (0.63-0.74; p < 0.001), for arterial catheter insertion 0.85 (0.79-0.92; p < 0.001), and for peripheral inserted central venous catheter placement 1.14 (1.03-1.26; p = 0.013). Over this time period, in a subgroup with available data, there was a decrease in the rate of invasive mechanical ventilation and an increase in the rate of noninvasive respiratory support (bilevel positive airway pressure/continuous positive airway pressure and high-flow nasal oxygen) per admission. Over 9 years across multiple North American PICUs, the rate of endotracheal intubations, central catheter, and arterial catheter insertions per admission has decreased. The use of invasive mechanical ventilation has decreased with an increase in noninvasive respiratory support. These data support efforts to improve exposure to invasive procedures in training and structured systems to evaluate continued competency.

Central line placement at ECMO decannulation: A missed opportunity

IntroductionECMO is a support modality for refractory critical illness. This study reviews the incidence and utility of central venous line (CVL) placement at pediatric ECMO decannulation. MethodsA single-institution retrospective study of patients undergoing open neck decannulation from 2015 to 2019. Patients were divided into two groups: ≤ 28-days and > 28-days. ResultsOf 65 patients, 31% had a CVL placed at decannulation. Sepsis and pneumonia were the most common indications for ECMO in the older-group compared to CDH in neonates. The most common indications for CVL were hemodialysis (45%), monitoring (25%), and access (25%). 89% of neonates had an access line placed, whereas 73% of the older group received hemodialysis catheters. Median CRRT requirement was 20 days. 85% of lines were functional at time of removal or death. None were removed for infection. 40% of the patients not receiving a CVL at decannulation required one within 30 days. Conclusion69% of patients did not have a CVL placed at decannulation, however 40% required a CVL within 30 days. Most lines placed at decannulation remained functional and none were removed for infection. Decannulation removes the circuit as a route for vascular access, but it also presents an opportunity to safely place an essential CVL.

High Rates of Central Venous Line Replacement or Revision in Children With Cancer at US Children's Hospitals.

Most children with cancer utilize a central venous line (CVL) for treatment. Complications often necessitate early replacement, revision, or addition (RRA), but the rate of these procedures is not known. This study sought to determine rates of RRA in pediatric oncology patients, and associated risk factors. Data queried from the Pediatric Health Information System including patients ≤18 years old with malignancy and CVL placement. Analysis included: first CVL placement of the calendar year and subsequent procedures for 6 months thereafter. A total of 6553 children met inclusion criteria (55.9% male, median age 6 years, interquartile range: 2 to 12). RRA within 6 months was required in 25.6% of patients, with 1.7% requiring 5 or more lines. Patients with Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infection (CLABSI) were 2.78 times more likely to require RRA within 6 months of initial CVL placement, but accounted for only 16% of RRA patients. Factors associated with RRA were age below 1 year, CLABSI, hematologic malignancy, malnutrition, clotting disorder, deep vessel thromboembolism, and obesity. Patients with implantable ports as initial CVL (42%) were less likely to need RRA. Twenty-five percent require at least 1 RRA within 6 months, with associated morbidity and costs. Though strongly associated, most revisions were not related to CLABSI episodes.

Central Line Utilization and Complications in Infants with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia.

Infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) require multiple invasive interventions carrying inherent risks, including central venous and arterial line placement. We hypothesized that specific clinical or catheter characteristics are associated with higher risk of nonelective removal (NER) due to complications and may be amenable to efforts to reduce patient harm. Infants with CDH were identified in the Children's Hospital's Neonatal Database (CHND) from 2010 to 2016. Central line use, duration, and complications resulting in NER are described and analyzed by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) use. A total of 1,106 CDH infants were included; nearly all (98%) had a central line placed, (average of three central lines) with a total dwell time of 22 days (interquartile range [IQR]: 14-39). Umbilical arterial and venous lines were most common, followed by extremity peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs); 12% (361/3,027 central lines) were removed secondary to complications. Malposition was the most frequent indication for NER and was twice as likely in infants with intrathoracic liver position. One quarter of central lines in those receiving ECMO was placed while receiving this therapy. Central lines are an important component of intensive care for infants with CDH. Careful selection of line type and location and understanding of common complications may attenuate the need for early removal and reduce risk of infection, obstruction, and malposition in this high-risk group of patients. · Central line placement near universal in congenital diaphragmatic hernia infants.. · Mean of three lines placed per patient; total duration 22 days.. · Clinical patient characteristics affect risk..

Correlation between central venous pressure and peripheral venous pressure in medical intensive care unit patients

Introduction: Central venous pressure (CVP) is a hemodynamic variable commonly used in the intensive care setting to estimate right arterial pressure for evaluation and monitoring a patient's volume status. Risks such as infection, arterial puncture, hematoma, and pneumothorax associated with central venous cannulation can outweigh its benefits. This study was undertaken to determine if peripheral venous pressure (PVP) predicts CVP in medical intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on patients admitted to the medical ICU at AlJamhoriya Teaching Hospital in the period from January to September 2009. Sixty-six patients (aged 40–70 years) who were required a central venous line (CVL) were included prospectively in the study. CVP measured through internal jugular vein or subclavian vein by three ways CVL set insertion; and CVL placement was confirmed by chest X-ray. We used the manometers for the measurement of PVP; and 66 paired recordings of CVP and PVP were made. The correlation and Bland-Altman analysis of agreement were performed. Results: The mean (standard deviation [SD]; range) CVP was 11.3778 cmH2O (±5.6; −1.0–27.0); the mean PVP was 15.80 cmH2O (±5.9; 0.0–33.0); offset (bias) of PVP > CVP was 4.42 cmH2O with SD ± 3.62. The correlation of PVP on CVP was r = 0.8059, ( r2 = 0.65), P

Dermatological patients in the Intensive Care Unit – a hospital record based retrospective study

Background: Various dermatological conditions can be life threatening and may require admission in the intensive care unit for monitoring and management. We carried out this study to assess the profile of dermatological admissions in the intensive care unit. Materials and Methods: It was a cross sectional retrospective study in which the records of all patients of various dermatological disorders admitted in the intensive care unit over a period of three years was studied and the clinical details were assessed. Results: Over a period of three years, a total of 16 patients (M:F 10:6), aged between 16-71 years (mean 46±2.31 years) were admitted with an underlying dermatological disorder. The most common condition requiring admission was Stevens Johnsons Syndrome (n=5), followed by Pemphigus vulgaris (n=4), erythroderma(n=2), pustular psoriasis, dermatomyositis, necrotizing faciitis, dapsone hypersensitivity syndrome and cutaneous lymphoma in 1 each. Interventions like mechanical ventilation were required in 2 patients, inotropic support in 2 patients, central venous line placement, renal replacement therapy and tracheostomy in one patient each. The mean duration of ICU stay was 14.2 days and mortality was the outcome in 2 patients of pemphigus vulgaris which was attributed to septicemia and shock. Conclusions: Dermatological disorders can cause significant morbidity and may require proper care in the intensive care unit. Timely initiation of intensive care can help in reducing the morbidity and preventing mortality.

Comparison of catheterization of internal jugular vein by ultrasound guided versus landmark approach IN I.C.U. patients

Comparison of catheterization of internal jugular vein by ultrasound guided versus landmark approach IN I.C.U. patients - IJCA- Print ISSN No: - 2394-4781 Online ISSN No:- 2394-4994 Article DOI No:- 10.18231/2394-4994.2018.0082, Indian Journal of Clinical Anaesthesia-Indian J Clin Anaesth