Central venous cannulation: A radiological determination of catheter positions and immediate intrathoracic complications.

The incidence of immediate complications on inserting central venous catheters into 475 patients is reported. The catheter positions were verified by X-rays. Six different insertion routes were used. Central venous cannulation via the right internal jugular vein is recommended because of the high incidence of satisfactory catheter positions and the small number of puncture complications with this route.