Arterial LinePlacement

Arterial line placement is a common procedure in various critical care settings. Intra-arterial blood pressure (BP) measurement is more accurate than measurement of BP by noninvasive means, especially in the critically ill. [1] Intra-arterial BP management permits the rapid recognition of BP changes that is vital for patients on continuous infusions of vasoactive drugs. Arterial cannulation also allows repeated arterial blood gas samples to be drawn without injury to the patient.