Analysis of difficulty in placement of pulmonary artery catheter through the left internal jugular vein.

Purpose: The left internal jugular vein may be an alternative route for the placement of a pulmonary artery catheter when the right jugular vein is not available. Although the placement through the left internal jugular vein is expected to be more difficult, little has been written regarding difficulties in achieving proper placement of the catheter through the left internal jugular vein.

Methods: This prospective and observational study includes patients undergoing cardiac surgery with the catheter placement by monitoring the pressure waveform for 2 years. We measured the time required for the catheter to pass through the tricuspid and pulmonary valves, respectively. The data were analyzed by Mann-Whitney. P < 0.05 was considered significant.

Results: The catheter placement through the right and left internal jugular vein was done in 285 (group R) and 10 patients (group L), respectively. The time duration through the tricuspid valve in group L was significantly longer than that in group P (8 [5-14] s vs 70 [19.8-138] s, median [range], P < 0.01), whereas the time duration through the pulmonary valve was comparable between the two groups (15 [10-27.75] s vs 15 [10.25-19] s, median [range], P = 0.62).

Conclusion: These results indicate that the difficulty in the catheter placement through the left jugular vein may be to pass through the tricuspid valve, not the pulmonary valve.