Association of Anaesthetists guidelines: safe vascular access 2025
Abstract
Introduction: Safe vascular access is integral to anaesthetic and critical care practice. However, despite technological and procedural advances, it remains a frequent source of adverse events and patient harm. Ensuring a safe and effective approach to the selection, insertion and care of vascular access devices should be a priority for all practitioners.
Methods: This updated consensus statement builds upon previous iterations of safe vascular access guidelines. An expert, multidisciplinary, multi-society working party agreed on major themes and conducted a review of literature and best practice to build a comprehensive body of work. This was followed by a two-round Delphi process to agree on specific recommendations and to inform these concise guidelines.
Results: We agreed successfully 15 recommendations encompassing operational, training and clinical issues with an emphasis on a holistic approach to vascular access and long-term vessel health. These recommendations were divided into six major themes, covering: process (vascular access teams and responsiveness key performance indicators); device selection; insertion, including the use of safety standards, ultrasound, catheter tip position and vein/catheter ratios; the management of anticoagulation therapy, catheter-related thrombosis and coagulopathies; specific patient groups, including patients requiring renal replacement therapy, following mastectomy and axillary lymph node resection and the use of peripheral…
Read the paper
Related studies
- Effectiveness of Bisphosphonates and Denosumab on Risk of Vertebral Fractures in Prostate Cancer Patients Under Androgen Deprivation Therapies: A Real-World Prospective Study
- Osteoporosis-related fractures after spinal cord injury: a retrospective study from Brazil
- Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, parathyroid hormone, and mortality in older men
- Lack of Association between Vitamin D Insufficiency and Cardiovascular or Fracture Risk: A UK Biobank Study
- Muscle strength and body composition are clinical indicators of osteoporosis
- Incidence of bone protection and associated fragility injuries in patients with proximal femur fractures
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.