Median nerve damage from brachial artery puncture: a case report.

This report describes a case in which puncture of the brachial artery to obtain a sample for blood-gas analysis resulted in damage to the median nerve with a persisting neuropathy and apparent loss of function. Errors in judgment and contributions to possible negligence included (1) inappropriate choice of sampling site; (2) lack of knowledge of precautions and possible complications; (3) incomplete/inadequate description of optimal procedure in departmental procedure manual; (4) arbitrary selection of the dominant hand.