Experience with percutaneous internal jugular-innominate vein catheterization.

A specific technique of cannulation of the internal jugular innominate vein, presented herein, is not considered an innocuous procedure, but the incidence of serious complications is very low. In this technique a needle-in-catheter unit aids greatly in advancing the catheter through the vein. More than 62 percent of the catheters were left in place for more than five days. There was an 11.4 percent incidence of positive bacterial or fungal cultures from the catheter tip. Routine follow-up chest x-ray films demonstrated all the catheters in the innominate-superior vena cava venous system.