• Joerg Brederlau, Ralf Muellenbach, Markus Kredel, Ulrich Schwemmer, Norbert Roewer, and Clemens Greim.
• Department of Anaesthesiology, Wuerzburg University Hospital, Wuerzburg, Germany. brederlau_j@klinik.uni-wuerzburg.de
• Vet Anaesth Analg. 2008 Mar 1;35(2):161-5.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the feasibility of ultrasound guided vascular access in pigs by comparing central venous and arterial cannulation techniques.AnimalsTwenty-two healthy female Pietrain pigs, 14-18 weeks old and weighing 51.1 +/- 4.3 kg (mean +/- SD).Study DesignComparative animal trial.Materials And MethodsAfter induction of general anaesthesia, cannulation of the external jugular vein and internal carotid artery was attempted using real-time ultrasound guidance. The quality of the ultrasound picture was assessed on an analogue scale from 1 (excellent) to 5 (insufficient). Vessel size, cannulation success rate, number of puncture attempts and time from first puncture attempt until insertion of the Seldinger wire were recorded.ResultsCannulation was successful in all but one animal in which a cut-down technique was performed. The arteries were significantly smaller than the veins (p < 0.001) resulting in a significantly prolonged cannulation time (p = 0.032) for insertion of arterial catheters without differences in success rate. In 89% of attempted cannulations, the Seldinger wire was inserted within 5 minutes.Conclusions And Clinical RelevanceIn anaesthetized pigs undergoing instrumentation for biomedical research, ultrasound-guided vascular access is a simple and rapid alternative to surgical cut-down. In veterinary anaesthesia, the technique might be useful in sedated or anesthetized pigs in which arterial or central venous access is required.

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