ARTERIAL LINES

Course overview

ARTERIAL CATHETERIZATION IS A PROCEDURE THAT IS COMMON TO THE INTENSIVE CARE AND THE OPERATING ROOM SETTINGS. IT INVOLVES PLACEMENT OF A CATHETER INTO THE LUMEN OF AN ARTERY TO PROVIDE AT MINIMUM A CONTINUOUS DISPLAY BLOOD PRESSURE WITH ACCESS TO FREQUENT ARTERIAL BLOOD SAMPLING. THE DISCOVERY OF THE ARTERIAL WAVEFORM VIA INSERTION OF A CATHETER INTO AN ARTERY DATES BACK TO 1847 AND WAS FIRST DONE BY GERMAN PHYSIOLOGIST CARL LUDWIG. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE INDICATIONS AND TECHNIQUES FOR INSERTING ARTERIAL LINES AND HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN ENSURING SAFE ACCESS.