T h e ne w engl a nd jour na l o f medicine videos in clinical medicine Placement of an Arterial Line Ken Tegtmeyer, M.D., Glenn Brady, M.D., Susanna Lai, M.P.H., Richard Hodo, and Dana Braner, M.D. Indications Radial arterial lines are important tools in the treatment of critically ill patients. From the Departments of Medical Infor- Continuous monitoring of blood pressure is indicated for patients with hemody- matics and Clinical Epidemiology and Pediatrics, Oregon Health and Sciences namic instability that requires inotropic or vasopressor medication. An arterial line University, Portland, Oreg. Address re- allows for consistent and continuous monitoring of blood pressure to facilitate the print requests to Dr. Braner at 3181 S.W. reliable titration of supportive medications. In addition, arterial lines allow for reli- Sam Jackson Park Rd., Portland, OR 97239-3098, or at
[email protected]. able access to the arterial circulation for the measurement of arterial oxygenation and for frequent blood sampling. The placement of arterial lines is an important N Engl J Med 2006;354:e13. skill for physicians to master as they treat critically ill patients. Copyright © 2006 Massachusetts Medical Society. An arterial line is also indicated for patients with significant ventilatory deficits. Measurement of the partial pressures of arterial oxygen and arterial carbon dioxide provides more information about the status of gas exchange than does arterial oxygen saturation. Contraindications The contraindications to the placement of an arterial line are few but specific. Placement of an arterial line should not compromise the circulation distal to the placement site, which means that sites with known deficiencies in collateral circu- lation — such as those involved in Raynaud’s phenomenon and thromboangiitis obliterans or end arteries such as the brachial artery — should be avoided.