Background: Use of ultrasound guidance for Central Venous Catheter insertion has been associated with decreased complications and increased success rates. Previous reports show low rates of use among physicians.
Objectives: Evaluation of the frequency of Ultrasound Guidance use for Central Venous Catheter insertion among residents at a teaching institution.
Methods: A cross sectional electronic survey of resident physicians at a tertiary care teaching hospital was conducted to evaluate use of Ultrasound Guidance for Central Venous Catheterization. Assessment included self reported frequency of ultrasound guidance use, and volume of central venous catheter placement. Attitudes toward the use of ultrasound were assessed using Likert scales.
Results: There is a high rate. over 90%, of ultrasound guidance use for Internal Jugular central venous catheters among residents. The majority of residents use sterile real-time imaging with a single operator with a reported success rate greater then 80%.
Conclusions: Resident use of ultrasound guidance for Internal Jugular central venous catheter insertion can be much higher than previously reported in the literature.