Central venous cannulation using the infraclavicular axillary vein.

A new percutaneous approach to central venous catheterization was recently described which seemed to offer advantages over others commonly used. To evaluate the technique, it was successfully used in 102 consecutive patients for monitoring, drug infusion, pulmonary arterial catheterization, and parenteral nutrition. There was a low incidence of complications, the most frequent being arterial puncture. The results confirm that this is an effective and relatively safe technique that deserves consideration in patients who require central venous catheterization.