Ultrasound-guided cannulation of the internal jugular vein for dialysis vascular access in uremic patients

Background: A reliable temporary vascular access is always required for hemodialysis when a permanent vascular access is not available. However, techniques for creating temporary vascular accesses remain imperfect. This study utilized the 'SiteRite' ultrasound device to improve both success and complication rates of jugular venous cannulation for temporary access. Methods: This prospective, comparative study recruited 104 uremic patients receiving ultrasound-guided and 86 patients undergoing landmark-guided percutaneous internal jugular venous cannulation of dual-lumen dialysis catheters. Success rate, number of puncture attempts, access time, and the complication rate of the ultrasound technique, in comparison with the landmark-guided technique, were studied. Results: The ultrasound-guided cannulation was superior to the external landmark-guided cannulation in overall success rate (99.0 vs. 86.0%, p < 0.01), success rate of the first puncture attempt (80.8 vs. 34.9%, p < 0.01), average puncture (access) times (15.8 vs. 43.7 s, p < 0.01), puncture trials (1.39 vs. 2.58, p < 0.01), and traumatic complication rate (1.9 vs. 11.6%, p = 0.015). The incidence of infective complications for the ultrasound group was not different from that of the landmark-guided groups (2.9 vs. 2.3%, p = 0.589). Conclusion: The ultrasound-guided technique offers both safety and convenience in inserting jugular venous dialysis catheters. It represents a valuable technique in creating temporary dialysis hemoaccesses.