Can Ultrasound be Used to Verify CVC Position and to Exclude Pneumothorax?
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00388375 |
Recruitment Status
:
Terminated
(Not feasible, did not have the study population.)
First Posted
: October 16, 2006
Last Update Posted
: October 20, 2014
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Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
---|---|---|
Catheterization, Central Venous | Procedure: Ultrasound | Not Applicable |
Central venous catheterization (CVC) of the subclavian or internal jugular veins is a common procedure performed in the emergency department (ED). This procedure is followed by complications in 0.3 to 12% of cases. Pneumothorax (PTX) and catheter-tip misplacement can occur. The diagnosis of these complications requires a chest radiograph (CXR). In certain cases, CXR may be time-consuming, requiring more than 30 minutes. This could be harmful in the case of critically ill patients. Moreover, several investigators have questioned the need of routine post-procedural CXR in the absence of clinical complications.
Recent data has shown that ultrasound can accurately detect PTX in critically ill patients. Furthermore, bedside ultrasound is an easy technique to investigate the subclavian and internal jugular veins, and can improve the success rate of catheter insertion. Ultrasound also allows visualization of central venous catheters in vivo. Ultrasound has been reported as a tool to detect catheterization complications and misplacement when performed by ICU physicians, but has never been studied in the ED.
This method could be valuable in hemodynamically unstable patients, who quickly need a CVC for the measurement of central venous pressure, immediate fluid resuscitation, and infusion of vasoactive medications. Similarly, bedside ultrasound examination could quickly confirm PTX and allow immediate chest tube insertion in case of respiratory distress after catheter insertion.
We hypothesize that bedside ultrasound examination performed by ED physicians could accurately detect placement of the CVC and the presence or absence of a PTX after catheterization of the jugular and subclavian veins.
Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Actual Enrollment : | 23 participants |
Allocation: | Non-Randomized |
Intervention Model: | Single Group Assignment |
Masking: | None (Open Label) |
Primary Purpose: | Diagnostic |
Official Title: | Can Ultrasound be Used as an Alternative to Chest Radiography After Central Venous Catheter Insertion to Confirm Proper Catheter Position and to Exclude Pneumothorax? |
Study Start Date : | October 2006 |
Actual Primary Completion Date : | December 2008 |
Actual Study Completion Date : | December 2008 |

Arm | Intervention/treatment |
---|---|
No Intervention: CVC Internal Jugular or Subclavian Vein |
Procedure: Ultrasound
limited ultrasound examination to evaluate the following areas: Examination of the subclavian and internal jugular veins to assess proper catheter placement PTX detection, using lung sliding and comet-tail artifact Visualization of the heart (right atrium and ventricle) and the inferior vena cava through the subcostal window
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- The presence or absence of a misplaced CVC as detected by US and CXR. [ Time Frame: 10 Minutes ]
- The presence or absence of PTX as detected by US and CXR [ Time Frame: 10 minutes ]
- Time needed to complete the US exam and CXR [ Time Frame: varies ]

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Ages Eligible for Study: | 18 Years and older (Adult, Senior) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Inclusion Criteria:
- Male or female 18 years or older
- Signed consent
- In need of subclavian or internal jugular central line placement
Exclusion Criteria:
- Any subject who refuses or whose family refuses to sign consent
- Any subject in whose immediate transfer from the care of the ED to another location is mandated by clinical presentation
- Any subject under the age of 18
- Any subject being evaluated for chest trauma.

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT00388375
United States, Delaware | |
Christiana Care Heath System | |
Newark, Delaware, United States, 19718 |
Principal Investigator: | Jason Nomura, MD | Christiana Care Health Services |
Responsible Party: | Christiana Care Health Services |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT00388375 History of Changes |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
25185 |
First Posted: | October 16, 2006 Key Record Dates |
Last Update Posted: | October 20, 2014 |
Last Verified: | November 2012 |
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Pneumothorax Pleural Diseases Respiratory Tract Diseases |