critical care medicine
How To Do Radial Artery Cannulation, Ultrasound Guided
Introduction
Ultrasound-guided radial artery cannulation uses real-time (dynamic) ultrasound to guide arterial puncture; an integrated catheter-over-guidewire device or an angiocatheter (catheter-over-needle) is used to thread a catheter into the radial artery. (See also Vascular Access .) The radial artery is the most frequent site of arterial catheterization. When ultrasonographic equipment and trained personnel are available, ultrasonographic guidance may be helpful in cannulating nonpalpable arteries (eg, due to obesity or a small artery) and increases the success rate of radial artery cannulation. This topic will focus on the use of ultrasonography to guide arterial cannulation. The actual procedure for radial artery cannulation is the same as when ultrasonography is not used and is described in detail in How To Do Radial Artery Cannulation . 