Applied anatomy of the superior vena cava—the carina as a landmark to guide central venous catheter placement

Background.

Cardiac tamponade is a serious complication of central venous catheter (CVC) insertion. Current guidelines strongly advise that the CVC tip should be located in the superior vena cava (SVC) and outside the pericardial sac. This may be difficult to verify as the exact location of the pericardium cannot be seen on a normal chest x-ray. The carina is an alternative radiographic marker for correct CVC placement, suggested on the basis of studies of embalmed cadavers.

Methods.

We set out to confirm this radiographic landmark in 39 fresh cadavers (age 58.4 (3.4) (mean and SE) yr) and to compare the results with those from ethanol–formalin-fixed cadavers.

Results.

We found that the carina was 0.8 (0.05) cm above the pericardial sac as it transverses the SVC. In no case was the carina inferior to the pericardial reflection and our study confirmed the previous findings. All the measured distances were significantly greater in fresh cadavers.

Conclusions.

We confirm that the carina is a reliable, simple anatomical landmark that can be identified in vivo for the correct placement of CVCs outside the boundaries of the pericardial sac.