An interventional study of Radial artery cannulation and Ulnar artery cannulation in Arterial Catheterization, Hemodynamic Monitoring and Pediatrics, sponsored by Tunis University. Completed at 1 site in Tunisia. Open to participants aged 1 Year to 18 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-22.
Sponsored by Tunis University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Diagnostic
Arterial catheterization provides continuous blood pressure monitoring and repeated blood sampling in children undergoing surgery at high cardiovascular or hemorrhagic risk, and in critically ill children. The radial artery is the conventional site, but cannulation remains challenging in children because of small vessel caliber and frequent anatomical variants. Ultrasound guidance has made alternative sites accessible, and the ulnar artery has a comparable caliber and a depth often closer to the range considered optimal for puncture. This trial compared ultrasound-guided ulnar versus radial arterial cannulation in children older than one year, with regard to first-attempt success and the rate of local complications.
Children older than one year, of ASA physical status I to III, requiring invasive arterial pressure monitoring for elective surgery or in the intensive care unit, were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to cannulation of the radial artery (group R) or the ulnar artery (group U). The allocation sequence was computer-generated and applied by an investigator not involved in the puncture, after sedation had been established. Patients and their legal guardians remained unaware of the allocated site; operators could not be blinded. The allocated artery was screened sonographically before puncture to exclude thrombosis or anatomical variants, and its diameter and depth were measured. The wrist was placed in 45 degrees of dorsiflexion. The artery was punctured on the anterior aspect of the wrist through a short-axis out-of-plane approach, using a 25-gauge 4 cm catheter and a 6-13 MHz linear probe, by anesthesia residents in their seventh semester of training or beyond under direct senior supervision. An attempt was considered failed when a large hematoma or arterial spasm occurred; cannulation was then reattempted at the same arterial site on the contralateral limb, and the supervising senior physician took over in case of persistent failure.
Tunis University is the lead sponsor of 22 studies on the registry; 5 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
The anaesthetists’ scale of health before surgery: I is healthy, II has a mild illness that is under control, III a severe one, IV a severe illness that is a constant threat to life. V and VI are used for the critically ill and for organ donors.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.
ASA physical status
The anaesthetists’ scale of health before surgery: I is healthy, II has a mild illness that is under control, III a severe one, IV a severe illness that is a constant threat to life. V and VI are used for the critically ill and for organ donors.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Contraindication
A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Ultrasound-guided cannulation of the radial artery through a short-axis out-of-plane approach.
Procedure: Radial artery cannulation
Ultrasound-guided cannulation of the ulnar artery through a short-axis out-of-plane approach.
Procedure: Ulnar artery cannulation
The radial artery is identified sonographically at the anterior aspect of the wrist and confirmed with Doppler, with the wrist in 45 degrees of dorsiflexion. It is punctured through a short-axis out-of-plane approach using a 25-gauge 4 cm catheter and a Sonosite M-Turbo system with a 6-13 MHz linear probe.
Identical procedure applied to the ulnar artery.
Successful arterial cannulation at the first attempt
Proportion of patients in whom an arterial pressure waveform was obtained on the monitor at the first puncture attempt
Time frame: During the cannulation procedure, up to 15 minutes from skin puncture
Artery localization time
Time frame: During the cannulation procedure, up to 15 minutes
Catheter insertion time
Time frame: During the cannulation procedure, up to 15 minutes
Total procedure time
Time frame: During the cannulation procedure, up to 15 minutes
Number of puncture attempts
Time frame: During the cannulation procedure, up to 15 minutes
Need for a second operator
Time frame: During the cannulation procedure, up to 15 minutes
Incidence of local complications
Time frame: From the cannulation procedure until catheter removal, up to 7 days
Plan to share: No
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
This study is completed, as verified in Oct 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Tunis University