Arterial line

An arterial line is a thin catheter inserted into an artery. It is most commonly used in intensive care medicine to monitor the blood pressure real-time (rather than by intermittent measurement), and to obtain samples for arterial blood gas measurements. It is not generally used to administer medication. An arterial line is usually inserted in the wrist (radial artery), armpit (axillary artery), groin (femoral artery), or foot (pedal artery).

• Procedure illustrated with photos

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