• J R Pérez Valdivieso, C Mbongo Bubakala, C Honorato Cía, and P Monedero Rodríguez.
• Servicio de Anestesiología y Reanimación, Clínica Universitaria, Pamplona. jrpvaldi@unav.es
• Rev Esp Anestesiol Reanim. 2003 Feb 1;50(2):77-9.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the efficiency of a formula for predicting the optimal length of catheter inserted through the right internal jugular vein.Patients And MethodA prospective study in which the length of catheter to insert was calculated by the following formula: (height in cm/10)-1 cm. Punctures were approximately at the cricoid cartilage and length was measured from the point of insertion. Catheter tip placement was confirmed by anteroposterior chest film, read by a radiologist blinded as to the objective of the study. The position was considered optimal if the catheter tip was in the distal portion of the superior vena cava. Patients enrolled required insertion of a central venous line for therapy or monitoring and were excluded if they had risk factors that could predispose them to poor placement.ResultsFifty-eight catheterizations were performed. Three of them were excluded due to poor positioning in the contralateral subclavian vein. Among the 55 remaining patients, we observed the catheter tip in the superior vena cava in 52 cases and in the right atrium in 3.ConclusionsThe aforementioned formula predicted appropriate placement of the catheter tip in 94.54% of the patients.

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