Academic Editor: Jerome L. Fleg
Background: Although ultrasound guidance for axillary vein (AV) access
(USGAVA) has been described as a reliable technique for cardiac implantable
electronic device (CIED) implantation, no data is available on the use of
handheld ultrasound devices (HUD) in such a setting. Objective: We
investigated the feasibility of using a HUD for USGAVA in patients referred to
our Institution for CIED implantation. Methods: The procedure details of
80 consecutive patients undergoing USGAVA (Group-1) from June 2020 to June 2021
were prospectively collected and compared to those of an age and sex-matched
cohort of 91 patients (Group-2) who had undergone AV access with the traditional
venipuncture guided by fluoroscopic landmarks. Results: The two groups
were comparable for the success rate of venous access (92.5% versus 93.4%,
p = 0.82), complication rate (1.3% versus 0.9%, p = 1.0), and
procedure time (71