Effect of patient position upon success in placing central venous catheters

Background There is little consensus regarding the most efficient or the safest method by which to place a central venous catheter (CVC). Methods A single house officer prospectively evaluated 140 patients for whom he was requested to place CVCs. One hundred and eight patients participated in a randomized study of positioning. Of the 140 patients, 7 had emergency line placement; 105 randomized patients under-going elective CVC placement form the basis for this report (power 80% to detect change of one needle pass between groups). Patient positions were termed “bump” (head turned to the contralateral side and a rolled towel placed vertically between the scapulas) and “no bump” (head facing forward and no towel placed in the back.) Results Ninety-three of 105 patients had successful catheter placement. Catheters were more often successfully introduced in the bump group than no bump group (98% versus 83%, P<0.04). For patients with difficult CVC placement (those > 160 pounds, those with a weight-to-height ratio > 29, those with previous unsuccessful catheterization), the bump position was superior with respect to increased likelihood of venous blood return, decreased likelihood of arterial blood return, and increased likelihood of successful catheterization, although differences did not reach statistical significance (P<0.05) in individual analyses. Of patients with successful catheterization, 97% had three or fewer needle passes. Those with more than three needle passes were less likely to have successful catheter placement (P<0.01), were more likely to have arterial blood return (P<0.01) and pneumothorax (P = 0.12). Conclusions The bump position improves the likelihood of successful central venous catheter placement. No more than three needle passes ought to be attempted.