ABSTRACT

Ultrasound-guided vascular access has been used for many years in difficult cases by

radiologists who have had ready access to devices. Recently the commercial development

of small, portable ultrasound machines has widened the application for this technology for

venous access and other procedures by multiple specialties. The rationale for the use of

such devices is to provide fast, reliable, safe guidance for needle placement both in

routine and in more difficult cases. The role for ultrasound guidance in arterial puncture is

less well established than in venous access, but likely to follow similar trends.