Disturbances of blood-flow velocity in the dorsal veins of the hand after vein cannulation and cannula fixation in the anaesthetised patient

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Abstract
Modifications of the mean blood-flow velocity in the dorsal veins of the hand were assessed semi-quantitatively with continuous wave (CW) Doppler equipment in 32 anaesthetised patients (17 men and 15 women), 23-78 (medium = 56) years of age, before and after venous catheterisation with cannula fixation to the skin. Cannulation of the vein caused a 48% reduction in the mean blood-flow velocity and made it impossible to detect any flow with the equipment used in 22% of the patients. A 10% further reduction in the mean blood flow velocity and in the number of subjects with undetectable blood flow was observed after fixation of the cannulae. Age, small vein diameter, and hyperventilation (end-tidal carbon dioxide .ltoreq.3.5 volume%) appeared to be significant factors reducing blood-flow velocities in the cannulated veins. It is concluded that venous catheterisation and fixation of the cannula induce a significant reduction in the blood-flow velocity.