1. How many central lines are inserted per year?
In US an estimated 6 million lines inserted per year and increasing.
5 million per year in US (NEJM 2003)
More than 5million per year in US. Approximately 8% of hospitalised patients.
As many as 5million CVCs per yr in US. 15% experience complications.
48% of ICU patients. 15million CVC days per year in US.
Estimated 200,000 CVCs per year in NHS (BMJ 2013)
2. What proportion of the central lines are complicated by air emboli?
Incidence may be as high as 0.8% (AAGBI)
0.13% of interventional radiology CVC manipulations
15 of 11,583 radiographically inserted central lines
(Gas embolism complicates 2.65 per 100,000 hospitalizations)
3. What proportion of the air emboli result in death?
Review of 24 cases – 50% died, of remainder 42% had permanent neurological injury