UMEM Educational Pearls

Category: Critical Care

Title: Guidewire length

Keywords: central venous catheter, guidewire (PubMed Search)

Posted: 3/25/2008 by Mike Winters, MD (Updated: 3/29/2024)
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Guidewire length for central venous catheterization

  • 18 cm should be considered the upper limit of guidewire insertion during internal jugular or subclavian central venous catheterization (16cm for right IJ)
  • There is the Peres Nomogram for determining guidewire length, which is based on patient height
  • However, height is less reliable in predicting safe guidewire length