title: Complications of vascular catheterization in the critically ill. A prospective study.
abstract: Invasive hemodynamic procedures are increasingly used for monitoring critically ill and injured patients. The results of a prospective study on complications of 210 vascular catheterizations in 116 critically ill patients are reported. A total of 80 central venous (CV), 71 pulmonary artery (PA), and 59 arterial (A) catheterizations were performed during an interval of 6 months. Catheters were inserted by percutaneous techniques for all but seven of the procedures. CV catheters were associated with complications in 3.7%. However, complications were encountered in 10% of the PA catheterizations and 13.5% of systemic A catheterization. It appears that in a group of patients with observed hospital mortality of 36%, invasive monitoring is associated with a significant complication rate.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002404:Catheterization / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002408:Catheters, Indwelling; D002496:Central Venous Pressure; D003422:Critical Care; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011669:Pulmonary Wedge Pressure; D012769:Shock / Q000628:therapy