• Gunnvald Kvarstein and Ellen Jørum.
• Anestesi- og intensivklinikken, Oslo universitetssykehus, Rikshospitalet, Postboks 4950 Nydalen, 0424 Oslo, Norway. gunnvald.kvarstein@medisin.uio.no
• Tidsskr. Nor. Laegeforen. 2010 Jun 17;130(12):1250-1.

BackgroundPunction of blood vessels is a necessity in modern medicine, but there is a paucity of knowledge about the close relation between vessels and nerves.Material And MethodsWe refer to two cases that show possible consequences of cannulation of v. cephalica and a. radialis.ResultsBoth patients developed clinical symptoms and neurological findings indicating injury of the radial nerve. One of the patients is not likely to develop chronic neuropathic pain, but in the other patient the similar injury of the radial nerve has lead to chronic and disabling pain.InterpretationWe advise against using the distal part of v. cephalica (the intern's vein) as the first choice for training of inexperienced students. The vein should only be used in patients that lack other venous alternatives and in acute situations where quick infusions or blood transfusions are needed.

17 keywords...

hide…