Test yourself
Central line: see the wire before you dilate
4 questions. Pick an answer to see whether you are right and why. Your score appears at the end.
Question 1Why is flashback not enough to show the wire is in the vein?
Show answer
Answer b. Arterial blood can return without a pulsatile jet, and a wire can pass through the vein wall. Only the image shows the wire's position.
Question 2In how many views do you confirm the wire, and when?
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Answer a. Two views reduce the chance of missing a wire that lies in the artery or outside the vein. Check before you dilate, because dilating the wrong vessel is the harmful step.
Question 3The wire is not clearly inside the vein lumen. What do you do?
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Answer a. Dilation of an artery or the tissues is the step that causes harm. Resolve the doubt first.
Question 4What does a visible wire in the internal jugular vein not tell you?
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Answer a. Wire position at the neck is not tip position. Confirm the tip and exclude complications after insertion, according to local policy.
Practise it with us
Four or five delegates per instructor, FAMUS-accredited faculty and long, supervised time on the probe.
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