Saphenous Vein Cutdown

Excerpt

The establishment of venous access is essential to the treatment and resuscitation of both the medically and traumatically ill patient. Adequate venous access allows the delivery of fluids, blood products, medications, and repeated blood sampling.

The venous cutdown technique is a surgical procedure to gain venous access when relatively less invasive percutaneous procedures such as the Seldinger technique (percutaneous access), ultrasound-guided venous access, and intraosseous vascular access have failed. Percutaneous access can be difficult to achieve in certain patient populations (pediatric patients with small and nonpalpable veins, patients in hypovolemic shock with collapsed veins, patients with peripheral vascular disease with altered vascular anatomy) making venous cutdown a life-saving alternative.