title: Direct US-guided puncture of the innominate veins for central venous access.
abstract: Maintenance of functioning venous access is recognized as the Achilles heel of long-term hemodialysis treatment. In patients who require catheter-directed hemodialysis, the internal jugular veins are recognized as the optimal veins for insertion of dialysis catheters. When these sites are no longer available, alternative venous access sites are required. The authors describe two hemodialysis patients with limited access sites in whom hemodialysis catheters were successfully inserted directly into the innominate veins with use of ultrasound-guided punctures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of California San Diego Medical Center, 200 W. Arbor Dr., San Diego, CA 92013-8756, USA.
authors.forename: T N
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.forename: T B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Kinney
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016121:Brachiocephalic Veins / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery*; D002405:Catheterization, Central Venous / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011677:Punctures / Q000379:methods*; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000379:methods*; D014463:Ultrasonography