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"We developed a novel needle guide with a shallow angle of approach for ultrasound-guided venous catheterization and examined whether this needle guide reduces the incidence of posterior wall injuries compared to a conventional needle guide and free-hand placement in a simulated vein" Watanabe et al (2020).
Abstract:

Background: Needle guides for ultrasound-guided internal jugular venous catheterization facilitate successful cannulation. The ability of a needle guide to prevent a posterior vein wall injury which may secondarily induce lethal complications, is unknown. Previous studies showed that a shallow angle of approach may reduce the incidence of posterior wall injuries. We developed a novel needle guide with a shallow angle of approach for ultrasound-guided venous catheterization and examined whether this needle guide reduces the incidence of posterior wall injuries compared to a conventional needle guide and free-hand placement in a simulated vein.

Methods: This study was a randomized crossover-controlled trial. The primary outcome was the rate of posterior vein wall injuries. Participants had a didactic lecture about three ultrasound-guided techniques using the short-axis out-of-plane approach, including free-hand (P-free), a commercial needle guide (P-com), and a novel needle guide (P-sha). The view inside a simulated vein was recorded during venipuncture.

Results: Thirty-five residents participated in this study. Posterior vein wall injuries occurred in 66% using P-free, 60% using P-com, and 0% using P-sha (p< 0.01). There was no significant difference in the incidence of posterior vein wall injuries between P-free and P-com.

Conclusions: Use of a shallow angle of approach needle guide resulted in a lower rate of posterior vein injuries during venipuncture of a simulated vein compared with other techniques using a steeper angle techniques.

Reference:

Watanabe, K., Tokumine, J., Lefor, A. K. and Yorozu, T. (2020) Shallow-angle needle guide for ultrasound-guided internal jugular venous catheterization: A randomized controlled crossover simulation study (CONSORT). PloS One. 15(6), p.e0235519. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0235519