The technique of dorsalis pedis cannulation. An overlooked option when the radial artery cannot be used

C M Franklin1

  • 1Medical Intensive Care Unit, Cook County Hospital, Chicago, USA.

The Journal of Critical Illness
|June 7, 1995
PubMed

When arterial cannulation is required, but the radial artery cannot be used, five alternatives can be considered: the ulnar, brachial, axillary, femoral, and dorsalis pedis arteries. Of these, the dorsalis pedis may be the next best choice: Collateral flow is excellent, and cannulation here is easy to perform, presents minimal patient inconvenience, and has a very low incidence of complications. Systolic pressure readings obtained at the dorsalis pedis artery are 5 to 20 mm Hg higher than measurements obtained at the radial artery; however, by comparing the dorsalis pedis reading with a cuff pressure, you can quickly determine the extent of overshoot and correct the invasive measurement.

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