Dorsal radial artery catheterization for invasive blood pressure monitoring - Critical Care Science (CCS)

To the Editor

Arterial catheterization is a common procedure in intensive care units, with the primary purposes of continuous blood pressure monitoring and frequent blood sample collection. Obtaining an arterial line is also critical for the use of minimally invasive hemodynamic monitoring.

The radial artery is often the first choice for the placement of an arterial catheter, mainly because of its superficial location. The conventional method for locating the radial artery is to palpate the pulse, taking into account the anatomical reference points. However, the position of the artery varies in 30% of patients.⁽⁾ In addition, some factors make palpation of the artery difficult or even impossible: severe hypotension, morbid obesity, arterial scarring, edema, and atherosclerosis.⁽⁾ The use of ultrasound in arterial catheterization facilitates locating the artery and catheter cannulation, which increases the success rate in the first puncture attempt, reduces the time for cannulation success, and, consequently, decreases the occurrence of complications.^(,)

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