Internal Jugular Vein Catheterization: The Landmark Technique versus Ultrasonography Guidance in Cardiac Surgery

Background Central venous catheterization is an invasive procedure that must be performed during cardiovascular surgery. The addition of ultrasound guidance to the catheterization technique has shown effectiveness in reducing complications because it allows for the visualization of anatomical variations prior to intervention and the continual visualization of the needle during the placement. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of needle-guiding ultrasound for internal jugular venous cannulation. Method Patients undergoing coronary bypass surgery at Hitit University, department of cardiovascular surgery, from January 2014 to June 2018, were included in the study. The patients were divided into two groups: those with catheterization with ultrasound guidance (Group U) and those with catheterization performed with the anatomic landmark technique (Group L). Results A total of 584 cases were investigated. The success of the procedure and complication rates for both methods were compared. Central vein catheterization with ultrasonography produced success and complication rates significantly better than those for catheterization using the landmark technique (p=0.04 and p=0.00001, respectively). Conclusion This study demonstrated that the use of ultrasonography for internal jugular vein catheterization for patients undergoing coronary bypass surgery significantly reduced the complication rates as compared to those of patients where the landmark technique was used for catheterization.