title: Comparison of arterial and central venous cannulations using ultrasound guidance in pigs.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the feasibility of ultrasound guided vascular access in pigs by comparing central venous and arterial cannulation techniques.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-two healthy female Pietrain pigs, 14-18 weeks old and weighing 51.1 +/- 4.3 kg (mean +/- SD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Comparative animal trial.
  
  
  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
  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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesiology, Wuerzburg University Hospital, Wuerzburg, Germany. brederlau_j@klinik.uni-wuerzburg.de
authors.forename: Joerg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brederlau
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Muellenbach
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kredel
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Schwemmer
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Roewer
authors.forename: Clemens
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Greim
mesh_terms: D000758:Anesthesia / Q000662:veterinary*; D000818:Animals; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002404:Catheterization / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D002405:Catheterization, Central Venous / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary; D005260:Female; D007601:Jugular Veins / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D013552:Swine / Q000502:physiology*; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional / Q000662:veterinary*