Central Venous Access

Central venous access (CVA) is particularly valuable in critical care settings, oncology treatments and for patients requiring long-term intravenous therapies. In emergency settings, central venous access devices may be inserted bedside with or without the guidance of ultrasonography. However, the long-term lines and complex access require the transfer of the patient to the interventional radiology suite for proper guidance of ultrasound and fluoroscopy for the insertion of these lines. Most of the mechanical and thrombotic complications such as inadvertent arterial puncture, hematoma formation or pneumothorax can be effectively avoided and managed by IR.