[Safety of axillary and subclavian vein cannulation using real-time ultrasound guidance].

Background: The safety of real-time ultrasound-guided subclavian and axillary vein cannulation as opposed to ultrasound-guided internal jugular vein cannulation has not received much attention. We retrospectively compared the safety and value of real-time ultrasound-guided cannulation in the subclavian and axillary veins with those of the landmark method.

Methods: We divided 355 patients who had undergone central venous cannulation of the subclavian and axillary vein under local anesthesia into a group that had undergone real-time ultrasound-guided cannulation (Group U), and another group cannulated using the landmark method (Group L).