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.