Scale ultrasound-guided radial artery cannulation in infant: A randomized controlled trial

Cannulation of the radial artery can be extremely challenging in infants. Scale ultrasound can provide accurate arterial location and guidance for operators. We hypothesized that scale ultrasound helps increase the initial success rate of radial artery cannulation in this population.

Seventy-six infants aged 0-3 months who needed arterial puncture after general anesthesia were randomly divided into two groups (1:1 ratio): the scale ultrasound group and the traditional ultrasound group. The primary endpoints were the success rate of the first attempt and the total success rate of arterial cannulation. The secondary endpoints were the time during arterial puncture and the incidence of vascular complications.

The success rate of the first attempt and the total success rate of arterial cannulation were 92.1% (35/38) versus 50% (19/38) and 100% (38/38) versus 86.8% (33/38) in the scale ultrasound and traditional ultrasound group (p < 0.005), respectively. The median time to ultrasound location, needle entry into the radial artery, and successful cannulation in the scale ultrasound group were significantly shorter than those in the traditional ultrasound group: 10 (8.0, 17.2) s, 15 (11.7, 20) s, and 65 (53.8, 78.5) s vs 30 (26.5, 43.5) s, 35 (23, 51) s, and 224.5 (123.5, 356) s (p < 0.001), respectively. The incidence of hematoma was higher in the traditional group (p < 0.005).

Scale ultrasound-guided radial arterial cannulation can significantly improved initial success rate and overall success rate, shorten puncture time in infant, compared with that achieved with the use of traditional ultrasound guidance.