Facilitating Needle Alignment With Aiming Method

Although ultrasound-guided catheterization of the subclavian vein is becoming standard procedure in anesthetic practice, failure to align the needle and the transducer still can lead to possibly complications. In this study, we proposed a new alignment method, namely Aiming Method. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the use of this aiming method improved resident volunteers' performance of ultrasound-guided SC insertion in real patients. Specifically, residents were asked to perform three different methods: landmark techniques, ultrasound-guided with aiming method and ultrasound-guided plus needle guide techniques.