Femoral Arterial Line Placement

Drs. Jess Mason and Whitney Johnson review the steps for placing an arterial line in the femoral artery using ultrasound guidance. All kits will have a needle, guidewire, and catheter, but some will come as single units and others will come with component parts. Remember the anatomy - vein, artery, and nerve, with the vein being most medial. The artery should be the halfway point between the anterior superior iliac spine and the pubic symphysis. You can use ultraound to guide cannulation. Connect the catheter to the pressure transducer and the monitor to have continuous monitoring of blood pressure.