doi:10.1155/2012/306182 Research Article Echogenic Technology Improves Cannula Visibility during Ultrasound-Guided Internal Jugular Vein Catheterization via

Copyright © 2012 Konstantinos Stefanidis et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Objective. Echogenic technology has recently enhanced the ability of cannulas to be visualized during ultrasound-guided vascular access. We studied whether the use of an EC could improve visualization if compared with a nonechogenic vascular cannula (NEC) during real-time ultrasound-guided internal jugular vein (IJV) cannulation in the intensive care unit (ICU). Material and Methods. We prospectively enrolled 80 mechanically ventilated patients who required central venous access in a randomized study that was conducted in two medical-surgical ICUs. Forty patients underwent EC and 40 patients were randomized to NEC. The procedure was ultrasound-guided IJV cannulation via a transverse approach. Results. The EC group exhibited increased visibility as compared to the NEC group (88 % ± 8 % versus 20 % ± 15%, resp. P < 0.01). There was strong agreement between the procedure operators and independent observers (k = 0.9; 95 % confidence intervals assessed by bootstrap analysis = 0.87–0.95; P < 0.01). Access tim