Ultrasound-guided central line insertion

In the United Kingdom the use of real-time ultrasound (US) is recommended for the insertion of central venous catheters (CVCs) into the internal jugular vein in adults [1]. This is associated with decreased complications, decreased failure rates [2] and is possibly faster than insertion by a standard landmark technique. Concerns, however, exist regarding the training implications, cost and usefulness of these recommendations. We evaluated the effectiveness of US-guided central line insertion.