title: Guidelines on the use of ultrasound guidance for vascular access.
abstract: Insertion of vascular access is a common procedure with potential for iatrogenic events, some of which can be serious. The spread of ultrasound scanners in operating rooms, intensive care units and emergency departments has made ultrasound-guided catheterisation possible. The first guidelines were published a decade ago but are not always followed in France. The French Society of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care has decided to adopt a position on this issue through its Guidelines Committee in order to propose a limited number of simple guidelines. The method used was the GRADE(®) method using the most recently published meta-analyses as the source of references. The level of evidence found ranged from low to high and all the positive aspects associated with ultrasound guidance, i.e. fewer traumatic complications at puncture, probably or definitely outweigh the potential adverse consequences regardless of whether an adult or child is involved and regardless of the site of insertion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Hôpital Central, 29, avenue du Maréchal-de-Lattre-de-Tassigny, 54035 Nancy cedex, France. Electronic address: h.bouaziz@chu-nancy.fr.
authors.forename: Hervé
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bouaziz
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Hôpital de Bicêtre, 78, Rue du Général-Leclerc, 94275 Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France.
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Zetlaoui
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesia, Institut Universitaire du Cancer Toulouse-Oncopole, 31059 Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Sébastien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pierre
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesia, Institut Gustave-Roussy, 94805 Villejuif, France.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Desruennes
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Hôpital d'Instruction des Armées Robert-Picqué, 33140 Villenave d'Ornon, France.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fritsch
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Groupe Hospitalier du Centre Alsace (GHCA), Hôpital Albert-Schweitzer, 68003 Colmar, France.
authors.forename: Denis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jochum
authors.affiliation: Samu 93 - UF Research-Teaching-Quality, Université Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité, EA 3509, Hôpital Avicenne, 93009 Bobigny, France.
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lapostolle
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesia, Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc, Université Catholique de Louvain, 1348 Bruxelles, Belgium.
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pirotte
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Hôpital Saint-Louis, 1, avenue Claude-Vellefaux, 75010 Paris cedex 10, France.
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Villiers
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001158:Arteries; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005602:France; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional / Q000592:standards*; D062666:Vascular Access Devices; D014680:Veins