Accidental arterial puncture during right internal jugular vein cannulation in cardiac surgical patients.

Background: The primary aim of this study was to compare the incidence of accidental arterial puncture during right internal jugular vein (RIJV) cannulation with and without ultrasound guidance (USG). The secondary end points were to assess if USG improves the chances of successful first pass cannulation and if BMI has an impact on incidence of arterial puncture and the number of attempts that are to be made for successful cannulation.

Settings And Design: Prospective observational study performed at a single tertiary cardiac care center.