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British Journal of Anaesthesia, 2000, Vol. 85, No. 2 192-194
© 2000 The Board of Management and Trustees of the British Journal of Anaesthesia

The carina as a landmark in central venous catheter placement{dagger}

M. Schuster1, H. Nave2, S. Piepenbrock1, R. Pabst2 and B. Panning1,*

1Department of Anaesthesiology and 2Department of Anatomy, Medical School Hannover, D-30623 Hannover, Germany

{dagger}This article is accompanied by Editorial II.

Location of the tip of a central venous catheter (CVC) within the pericardium has been associated with potentially lethal cardiac tamponade. Because the pericardium cannot be seen on chest x-ray (CXR), an alternative radiographic marker is needed for correct placement of CVCs. The anatomy of the region was studied in 34 cadavers. The carina was a mean (SEM) distance of 0.4 (0.1) cm above the pericardial sac as it transverses the superior vena cava (SVC). In no case was the carina located below the pericardial sac. The carina is a reliable, simple anatomical landmark for the correct placement of CVCs. In almost all cases, the carina is radiologically visible even in poor quality, portable CXRs. CVC tips should be located in the SVC above the level of the carina in order to avoid cardiac tamponade.

Br J Anaesth 2000; 85: 192–4

* Correspondingauthor


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