Please select the eligibility criteria that correspond to the clinical trial below.
Title: Comparison of Ultrasound-guided Versus Blind Insertion of Radial Artery Catheters.
Brief Summary: Arterial catheterization is frequently performed on critically ill patients for invasive blood pressure monitoring and/or frequent blood draws, especially arterial blood gas analysis. The distal part of the radial artery (wrist) is the preferred access site.

The potential complications of the procedure are mostly minor and comprise temporary occlusion of the radial artery (RA), hematoma, local infection or bleeding from the puncture site. Major complications including vessel aneurysm or occlusion with threat to hand viability are rare.

The standard approach to catheterization is "blind" puncture of the RA while locating its pulse by palpation, followed by threading a 20 Gauge (20G) angio-catheter into the vessel. Alternatively ultrasound can be used to locate the vessel and guide needle insertion.

To our knowledge, four prospective randomized trials (PRT)5-8 comparing palpation with ultrasound-guided RA catheterization have been conducted so far and one meta-analysis looked at the pooled data obtained from these. The results showed that ultrasound guidance increased the first-attempt success rate at RA catheterization by 71% compared to palpation. The use of ultrasound also significantly reduced the time to successful catheterization, the number of punctures as well as the amount of catheters required per procedure.

None of the prior randomized trials has been conducted in an ICU setting and in three out of the four studies the arterial lines were placed in patients undergoing elective surgery. The investigators hypothesized that ultrasound could improve first attempt success rate while placing arterial catheters in an ICU setting. Ultrasound may also reduce total time to successful insertion and reduce complications.

The investigators plan to randomize patients to either a palpation technique or ultrasound guided catheter insertion and record the above outcomes.


Options:
A: Inclusion Criteria:

* Patients undergoing cardiac surgery
* Age 19 or older
* Provided written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

* Suspected inability to comply with study procedures, including language difficulties or medical history and/or concomitant disease, as judged by the investigator
* Previous surgery at the site of proposed radial artery catheterization
* Any vascular condition that may preclude eligibility for radial artery line insertion as judged by the investigator
* Patients with ventricular assist devices
* Previous inclusion in this study
B: Inclusion Criteria:

1. Age ≥ 18 years.
2. The distal and proximal radial artery must be palpable and non-occlusive flow must be confirmed by (Doppler) ultrasound.
3. Patient should be able to comply with the protocol.
4. Provide written informed consent before study participation

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Obligatory femoral or forearm radial access
2. Previous ipsilateral forearm radial artery occlusion.
3. Patient on therapeutic oral anticoagulation.
4. Very large hand/wrist anatomy that will preclude using the available hemostatic radial bands.
5. Enrolment in another study that competes or interferes with this study.
6. Poor clinical condition like cardiogenic shock, which prohibits pre- and post-procedural function tests.
7. Subject with planned complex PCI or procedure necessitating multiple intervention.
8. Any other condition or co-morbidity which, in the opinion of the investigator or operator, may pose a significant hazard to the subject if he or she is enrolled in the study.
9. History of stroke with residual deficit that affects hand function.
10. Previous radial artery catheterization within 1 year.
C: Inclusion Criteria:

* All surgical intensive care unit patients at Yale New Haven Hospital in whom the indication for arterial catheterization has been established by the attending physician will be eligible for consented randomization to either the "Palpation" or the "Ultrasound" group.

Exclusion Criteria:

* The patient or his/her surrogate declines to participate or the patient lacks a radial artery into which a catheter can be place.
D: Inclusion Criteria:

* Admission of the first degree relatives of the patients and if the patient can give consent
* Patients over 18
* Non-pregnant patients
* Patients without inotropic/vasopressor support
* Patients who do not have contraindications for radial artery cannulation (thrombosis in the distal region, a focus of infection at the site of entry, lack of adequate collateral flow in the Allen test, peripheral vascular diseases \[eg, Raynaud's disease)\]

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patient/Patient's first degree relatives refuse to work
* Patients under 18
* Pregnant patients
* Patients with contraindications for radial artery cannulation (thrombosis in the distal region, a focus of infection at the site of entry, lack of adequate collateral flow in the Allen test, peripheral vascular diseases \[eg, Raynaud's disease)\]
* Patient's inotropic/vasopressor support

Answer: C