A prospective comparison of ultrasound guided versus palpation method for radial artery catheter placement

Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of ultrasound guided vs. conventional palpation method for radial artery cannulation in the operating room for patients undergoing elective open-heart operations. Methodology: This prospective observational study was carried at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Disease (NICVD) in Karachi and Sukkur. All cannulation procedures were performed by anesthesia residents (R-1). Two equal sized independent groups of patients based on radial artery cannulation technique, either ultrasound guided (USG) or conventional palpation method (CPM) were recruited. Artery cannulation success along with number of attempts, total duration, number of additional operators, need for change of site, and complications were recorded. Results: A total of 70 patients were recruited in each of the group, mean patient age was 52.43±13.53 years vs. 50.71 ± 14.1 years; p=0.605 with proportion of male patients as 65.7% (46) vs. 77.1% (54); p=0.290, for USG and CPM, respectively. Artery cannulation success rate was 74.3% (52) vs. 80% (56); p=0.569, mean number of attempts was 1.71±1.05 vs. 1.51±0.89; p=0.391, mean total duration was 7.76±3.78 minutes vs. 5.42 ± 8.2 minutes; p=0.131, mean number of additional operators was 0.74±0.44 vs. 0.89±0.32; p=0.128, need for change of site was 11.4% (8) vs. 2.9% (2); p=0.356, and complications were observed in 8.6% (6) vs. 2.9% (2); p=0.614 for USG and CPM, respectively. Conclusion: In this observational study, no significant differences were observed in the effectiveness of USG and CPM for radial artery cannulation when performed by newly inducted anesthesia residents. (author)