title: The real effectiveness of ultrasound guidance in subclavian venous access.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The technique of ultrasound-guided subclavian cannulation was evaluated in our experience assessing the real effectiveness of such procedure.
  
  
  METHODS
  We have evaluated 297 subclavian cannulation, performed for the placement of central venous catheter both with landmark method (176 patients) and ultrasound guided technique (121 patients) to assess the real effectiveness of the ultrasound-guided technique to reduce the mechanical complication of the subclavian vein puncture.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 23 mechanical complications were identified. Of these, 8 were pneumothorax and 15 arterial puncture. Such cases were identified from the pool of patients who had undergone subclavian venous cannulation with landmark method. However these complications occurred only in difficult venous access and teaching procedure performed with landmark method.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  An ultrasound-guided recent technique for the placement of central venous access should be adopted since such technique seems to reduce the incidence of failure and mechanical complications. However it is worth notice that the clinical effect of using ultrasound guidance technique seems to be more significant when the internal jugular vein rather than the subclavian vein is cannulated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our experience demonstrate that, both in no difficult cases and in no teaching procedures, central venous catheterization using landmark technique seems to be acceptable on both clinical and medico-legal grounds. However the ultrasound guided technique is necessarily required to achieve the reduction of complications in difficult venous access.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Orthopedy, Traumatology and Emergency, University of Naples "Federico II" Naples, Italy. milone.marco@alice.it
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Milone
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Minno
authors.forename: Matteo Nicola Dario
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Di Minno
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Salvatore
authors.forename: Carmine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Iacovazzo
authors.forename: Carmela
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Policastro
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Milone
mesh_terms: D002405:Catheterization, Central Venous / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013350:Subclavian Vein / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014463:Ultrasonography