Improved house staff results with subclavian cannulation

In the teaching hospital, insertion of subclavian lines is frequently the responsibility of the House Staff. This paper reviews 225 subclavian cannulations by the Surgical House Staff of St. Barnabas Medical Center over an eight-month period. Twenty-six complications were documented. The major complication rate was 1.8 per cent and minor complications, 9.8 per cent. No correlation could be found between age, sex, or side of the catheter insertion with regard to complications. The overall complication rate was highest in the postgraduate year I (PGY) and PGY II levels, and this decreased with the more experienced residents. These results were statistically significant (P less than 0.05). The literature is reviewed, and recommendations concerning subclavian cannulation techniques are made.