Does external leg rotation facilitate femoral venipuncture?
* E-mail: kitagawa{at}mail.anes.saga-med.ac.jp’ + u + ‘@’ + d + ”//–> Editor Although the femoral vein (FV) is often used for central venous access, it carries a potential risk of femoral artery (FA) puncture. This complication is usually benign, but massive retroperitoneal haemorrhage,1 femoral nerve palsy2 and arterio-venous fistula3 have been reported. To avoid this complication, patient position is extremely important but the advantages of external leg rotation have not been reported. We have measured the anatomical relationships of FA and FV with the leg in external rotation or extension. After ethical committee approval and written informed consent, 19 healthy male volunteers (mean age, height and weight 35.4 yr, 172.3 cm and 68.5 kg, respectively) were placed supine in a Fowler position with about 15° elevation, allowing dilation of the FV. The positions are shown in Figure 1A and B. Right femoral vessels were examined using an SSA-260A ultrasonograph (Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan) a
