Ultrasound Evaluation of the anatomical characteristics of the Internal Jugular Vein and Carotid Artery- Facilitation of Internal Jugular Vein Cannulation -

Background and Purpose: Literature review revealed major variations in the anatomic characteristics of the right internal jugular vein (IJV) and carotid artery (CA) by the use of the ultrasound machine. The purpose of this study is to examine the anatomical characteristics of the right IJV and CA and to evaluate the IJV cannulation outcomes by the standard ultrasound guided vs. ultrasound localized technique as suggested by Lin and colleagues. Additionally, the study assessed the impact of changing the ultrasound transducer direction on the location of right IJV relative to the CA. Conclusions: Findings of the study show that both ultrasound guided and ultrasound localized techniques yield similar cannulation outcomes. Additional to the anteraloteral position of the IJV relative to the CA, a small IJV size constitutes a powerful predictor for the incidence of prolonged procedure time and carotid puncture for IJV canulation. Finally, the transducer direction has a significant impact on the assessment of the location of the IJV relative to the CA.