Most catheters are threaded through a needle, therefore, the hole made in the vessel wall by the needle is larger than the diameter of the catheter so for a short time after placement, blood tends to leak back around the catheter. The venipuncture models located in the psychomotor skills lab on the second floor of McCoy are available to you, any time that you want to practice. See Lynn Duncan to obtain a code to access the room. A jugular catheter can be placed with the patient in sternal recumbency, with the neck extended upwards. . The catheter insertion site should be widely shaved of hair and aseptically prepared using an antiseptic solution such as BetadineTM or Chlorhexadine.
Digital pressure is applied at the thoracic inlet to cause the jugular vein to distend with blood.
This is usually done by the person placing the catheter if the dog is in sternal recumbancy, but is done by the holder if the dog is in lateral recumbancy. The jugular vein is clearly visable in this dog. The following series of slides will show placement of a jugular catheter using an IntracathTM by Deseret. Insert the catheter through the skin and through the wall of the vein in one motion, if possible. Make the puncture through skin and vein wall rapidly and forcefully.