Tourniquet and ultrasound radial artery cannulation
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN60377452 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN60377452 |
| Protocol serial number | 2014-19 |
| Sponsor | Shanghai Jiaotong University affiliated Shanghai Sixth People’s hospital |
| Funder | Investigator initiated and funded |
- Submission date
- 01/12/2016
- Registration date
- 05/12/2016
- Last edited
- 11/07/2018
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Surgery
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
Cannulation is a commonly used medical procedure where a small tube is inserted into a vein or artery for access. Radial artery (the main artery in the forwarm) cannulation is used routinely in clinical settings for many purposes, such as accurate monitoring of beat-to-beat blood pressure, repeated multiple blood sampling and some surgical procedures. The radial artery is small, and so can be very difficult to cannulate however. Multiple attempts to cannulate can be risky and lead to risk and complications such as temporarily blocking the artery (occlusion), blood clots and bleeding. It is therefore important to find an easy, convenient and quick method for accessing the radial artery. In recent years, ultrasound (US) devices have been used to visualise blood vessels in order to access them with a cannula. Additionally use of a tourniquet (tight band to cut of blood supply) can also help improve cannulation success rates. The aim of this study is to find our whether using a tourniquet can improve the success rate of radial artery cannulation when using ultrasound.
Who can participate?
Adults undergoing major non-emergency surgery who require continuous beat-to-beat blood pressure monitoring throughout their operation.
What does the study involve?
Participants are randomly allocated to one of two groups. Those in the first group have a tourniquet tied as tightly as possible around the arm. Those in the second group have a tourniquet loosely tied on the far-end of the wrist. Following this, participants in both groups are cannulated using an ultrasound probe to visualise the artery. The time taken to successfully place the cannula is recorded for participants in both groups.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
Participants could benefit from improved success rates of cannulation and a shorter cannulation time. There are no notable risks of participating other than the general risks associated with cannulation, such as pain or bruising.
Where is the study run from?
Shanghai Jiaotong University Affiliated Shanghai No.6 People’s Hospital (China)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
March 2014 to December 2016
Who is funding the study?
Investigator initiated and funded (China)
Who is the main contact?
Ms Quanhong Zhou
Contact information
Scientific
600 Yishan Road
Shanghai
200233
China
Study information
| Primary study design | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Study design | Randomised parallel trial |
| Secondary study design | Randomised parallel trial |
| Study type | Participant information sheet |
| Scientific title | When tourniquet meets ultrasound for radial artery cannulation: a way to improve the quality of monitoring |
| Study objectives | Distal tightened tourniquet may facilitate ultrasound guided radial artery cannulation. |
| Ethics approval(s) | Institutional Review Board of Shanghai Jiaotong University-affiliated Shanghai No.6 People’s Hospital, 26/03/2014, ref: 2014-19 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Radial artery cannulation |
| Intervention | Participants are randomly allocated to one of two groups using the sealed envelope technique. In both groups, the tourniquet is placed distally to the ulnar styloid process. Group 1: The tourniquet is tied as tightly as possible Group 2: The tourniquet is loosely tied on the far-end of the wrist Following application of the tourniquet, an assistant sterilizes the forearm skin and put a sheet with hole at the insertion site to cover the tourniquet. Doctor could not see the tourniquet when performing the cannulation. An ultrasound probe is used to search for the optimal site for needle insertion and the needle is inserted at the center of the probe. If blood flushes out, the sheath of the needle is inserted and the needle taken out. The sheath is then connected to monitor (CARESCAPE, GE) via a pressure sensor (Combitrans Arterial Monitoring Kit B/BRAUN). A successful cannulation is announced when an arterial wave is shown on the monitor. The time from needle insertion to the successful wave shown is defined as radial artery cannulation time. |
| Intervention type | Procedure/Surgery |
| Primary outcome measure(s) |
First-attempt success rate is measured by how many patients had first-attempt success out of the whole population in his/her group (n=120) at the end of the study. |
| Key secondary outcome measure(s) |
1. Number of attempts is counted and verified using ultrasound scanning |
| Completion date | 01/12/2016 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Patient |
|---|---|
| Age group | Mixed |
| Lower age limit | 18 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Target sample size at registration | 240 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. Aged 18 years and over 2. Undergoing elective major surgery 3. Assumed to require continuous blood pressure monitor during their operation |
| Key exclusion criteria | 1. Patients with abnormal Allen test 2. Peripheral vascular diseases 3. Scars at the forearm i.e. insertion site |
| Date of first enrolment | 07/04/2014 |
| Date of final enrolment | 01/12/2015 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- China
- Christmas Island
Study participating centre
Shanghai
200233
China
Results and Publications
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | Yes |
|---|---|
| IPD sharing plan summary | Available on request |
| IPD sharing plan | The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are/will be available upon request from Quanhong Zhou, zhouanny@hotmail.com |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results article | results | 01/04/2018 | Yes | No | |
| Participant information sheet | Participant information sheet | 11/11/2025 | 11/11/2025 | No | Yes |
Editorial Notes
11/07/2018: Publication reference added.
