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Comparison of arterial and central venous cannulations using ultrasound guidance in pigs.

Brederlau J, Muellenbach R, Kredel M, Schwemmer U, Roewer N, Greim C

Department of Anaesthesiology, Wuerzburg University Hospital, Wuerzburg, Germany. brederlau_j@klinik.uni-wuerzburg.de

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility of ultrasound guided vascular access in pigs by comparing central venous and arterial cannulation techniques. ANIMALS: Twenty-two healthy female Pietrain pigs, 14-18 weeks old and weighing 51.1 +/- 4.3 kg (mean +/- SD). STUDY DESIGN: Comparative animal trial. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After induction of general anaesthesia, cannulation of the external jugular vein and internal carotid artery was attempted using real-time ultrasound guidance. The quality of the ultrasound picture was assessed on an analogue scale from 1 (excellent) to 5 (insufficient). Vessel size, cannulation success rate, number of puncture attempts and time from first puncture attempt until insertion of the Seldinger wire were recorded. RESULTS: Cannulation was successful in all but one animal in which a cut-down technique was performed. The arteries were significantly smaller than the veins (p < 0.001) resulting in a significantly prolonged cannulation time (p = 0.032) for insertion of arterial catheters without differences in success rate. In 89% of attempted cannulations, the Seldinger wire was inserted within 5 minutes. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: In anaesthetized pigs undergoing instrumentation for biomedical research, ultrasound-guided vascular access is a simple and rapid alternative to surgical cut-down. In veterinary anaesthesia, the technique might be useful in sedated or anesthetized pigs in which arterial or central venous access is required.

Published 15 February 2008 in Vet Anaesth Analg, 35(2): 161-5.
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