ABSTRACT
Critically ill patients often require vascular access to administer drugs and fluids. Types of devices include peripheral cannulas, central venous catheters (CVC), intra-osseous lines and venous cut-downs. Choosing the type of vascular access will be determined by the situation, for example cardiac arrest, resources available, medication and fluids to administer and the skills of the person inserting the line. In resource limited critical care unit’s peripheral cannulas are likely to be the commonest type of vascular access used. Vascular access devices were identified as one of the highest sources of infection in the environment. In resource limited environments CVC may not be available; an alternative may involve the insertion of a wide bore cannula into the internal jugular to provide central vascular access. In consequence, nurses may have varying experiences of using CVCs in practice. To measure a central venous pressure with a manometer, first check the CVC is patent.
