Most patients in intensive care will have an arterial line – a thin tube placed into an artery. Arterial lines or ‘A-lines’ give beat by beat blood pressure readings and provide a means of taking blood tests from the patient without using a needle. Arterial lines are most often placed in the wrist but can also be sited in the foot, at the elbow crease or in the groin. Similar to central lines, they can become blocked, infected or displaced necessitating replacement.
Comments are closed