Table 2 Characteristics of catheters inserted
|  |  | All catheters (n = 375) | CRT (n = 52) | No CRT (n = 323) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Type | n = 375 | |||
 Central venous catheter |  | 266 (71%) | 32 (62%) | 234 (72%) |
 Pulmonary artery catheter |  | 63 (17%) | 18 (35%) | 45 (14%) |
 Hemodialysis catheter |  | 46 (12%) | 2 (3%) | 44 (14%) |
Side | n = 375 | |||
 Right |  | 255 (68%) | 25 (48%) | 230 (71%) |
 Left |  | 120 (32%) | 27 (52%) | 93 (29%) |
Site | Â | |||
 Internal jugular vein |  | 302 (81%) | 49 (94%) | 253 (78%) |
 Femoral vein |  | 60 (16%) | 2 (4%) | 58 (18%) |
 Subclavian and axillary veins |  | 13 (3%) | 1 (2%) | 12 (4%) |
N. of lumen | n = 351 | |||
 2 |  | 15 (4%) | 2 (4%) | 13 (4%) |
 3 |  | 206 (59%) | 29 (59%) | 177 (59%) |
 4 |  | 80 (23%) | 11 (22%) | 69 (23%) |
 5 |  | 50 (14%) | 7 (15%) | 43 (14%) |
 Antimicrobial coated catheter | n = 337 | 86 (26%) | 12 (25%) | 74 (26%) |
Catheter’s tip X-ray positiona | n = 278/315 § | |||
CVC and hemodialysis catheter | n = 224/252 | |||
 RA |  | 19 (8%) | 4 (15%) | 15 (8%) |
 SVC–RA junction |  | 44 (20%) | 5 (19%) | 39 (20%) |
 SVC |  | 161 (72%) | 18 (66%) | 143 (72%) |
Pulmonary artery catheter | n = 54/63 | |||
 Right PA |  | 30 (56%) | 7 (43%) | 23 (60%) |
 Left PA |  | 9 (17%) | 3 (19%) | 6 (16%) |
 Pulmonary trunk |  | 15 (27%) | 6 (38%) | 9 (24%) |
N. cannulation attempts | n = 322 | |||
 1 |  | 297 (92%) | 41 (91%) | 256 (93%) |
  > 1 |  | 25 (8%) | 4 (9%) | 21 (7%) |
Catheter/vein diameter ratio | n = 270 | 0.21 [0.16–0.25] | 0.22 [0.16–0.25] | 0.21 [0.16–0.26] |
  < 0.3 |  | 237 (88%) | 38 (90%) | 200 (88%) |
  ≥ 0.3 |  | 32 (12%) | 4 (10%) | 28 (12%) |