A Comparative Study of Conventional Versus Ultrasound-Assisted Femoral Arterial Cannulation: A Prospective Randomized Trial.

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Background:  The common femoral artery (CFA) is one of the most frequently used vascular access sites for diagnostic and therapeutic coronary interventions. This study aimed to compare the traditional and ultrasound (US)-assisted methods for CFA cannulation, focusing on the incidence of complications.

Methods:  This study included 100 participants, who were divided into two groups (Group C and Group U), each consisting 50 participants. Group C underwent CFA catheterization using the conventional method, while Group U underwent US-guided CFA catheterization. The following parameters were recorded for both groups: time taken for cannulation, first-pass success rate, number of skin punctures required, and complications such as posterior wall puncture, hematoma formation, femoral vein puncture, pseudoaneurysm formation, arteriovenous fistula, and retroperitoneal hemorrhage.

Results: The mean time for cannulation in the conventional group was 100.90 seconds, compared to 78.16 seconds in the US-guided group. The mean number of skin punctures was 1.36 in Group U and 1.64 in Group C. The mean first-pass success rate was 64% in Group U and 42% in Group C. No incidents of posterior wall puncture were observed in Group U, while there was one incident in Group C. The incidence of femoral vein punctures was lower in Group U than in Group C.

Conclusions: The study findings suggest that US-guided CFA cannulation is quicker, requires fewer attempts, and results in fewer skin punctures compared to the conventional method.