Nurse vs Physician Artery Cannulation
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Radial artery catheterization done by nurse, Radial artery catheterization done by physician.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Educational Problems, Catheterization, Education Nursing, Simulation Based Medical Education. Basic parameters: from 18 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Center list to be confirmed — check the primary protocol.
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Official title
Nurse-performed Versus Physician-performed Radial Artery Cannulation: a Multicenter Randomized Non-inferiority Trial
Overview
This prospective controlled clinical trial evaluates the effectiveness and safety of radial artery cannulation using the Seldinger technique under ultrasound guidance when performed by two different operator groups: experienced physicians and trained registered nurses. The study aims to determine whether a structured, competency-based training program enables nurses without prior experience in arterial cannulation to achieve comparable outcomes to physicians in terms of first-attempt success rate, procedural efficiency, and complication rates.
Detailed description
This study is a prospective, controlled clinical trial designed to compare the performance of radial artery cannulation using the Seldinger technique under ultrasound guidance between two predefined operator groups: experienced physicians and trained registered nurses. The trial is conducted in tertiary-care hospital settings in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and Good Clinical Practice guidelines. 
Radial artery cannulation is a commonly performed invasive procedure used for continuous blood pressure monitoring and arterial blood sampling in perioperative and critical care settings. While traditionally performed by physicians, task-sharing strategies supported by structured training programs may expand procedural capacity while maintaining patient safety. 
In this study, physicians in the control group are board-certified anaesthesiologists or intensivists with established experience in arterial cannulation. The intervention group consists of registered nurses who have no prior experience with arterial cannulation but have successfully completed a structured, competency-based educational program. This program incorporates theoretical instruction, simulation-based training, and supervised clinical practice, based on principles of deliberate practice and mastery learning. 
All procedures are performed using a standardized Seldinger technique with ultrasound guidance and identical equipment, under uniform clinical conditions. Patient preparation, sterile technique, and procedural protocols are standardized across both groups. A supervising physician is immediately available during all procedures to ensure patient safety. 
The primary outcome is first-attempt success rate, defined as successful arterial cannulation following a single skin puncture with confirmation by arterial waveform. Secondary outcomes include total procedure time, overall success rate, number of attempts, and incidence of complications such as hematoma, catheter dysfunction, distal ischemia, and need for rescue intervention. 
The study aims to determine whether nurses trained through a structured educational program can achieve procedural outcomes comparable to experienced physicians. The findings may support the implementation of competency-based training pathways and task-sharing models in vascular access procedures, potentially improving healthcare efficiency while maintaining high standards of patient safety. 
Interventions
- Procedure Radial artery catheterization done by nurse
Cannulation of a radial artery using Seldinger method by nurse. - Procedure Radial artery catheterization done by physician
Cannulation of a radial artery using Seldinger method by physician.
Primary outcome measures
- First successful attempt [Time frame: From the first puncture of the patient's skin until the end of catheterization for maximum time of 20 minutes]
Secondary outcome measures (2)
- Time to complete catheterization [Time frame: From the first puncture of the patient's skin until the end of catheterization for maximum time of 20 minutes]
- Complication rate [Time frame: From the first puncture of the patient's skin until the extraction of the catheter for maximum time of 7 days]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Nurse with successful completion of the predefined radial artery catheterization educational module
- Czech board certified anaesthesiologist with obtained competency for radial artery catheterization.
Exclusion criteria
- Absence of competency for radial artery catheterization.
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: No
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Open label
- Primary purpose
- Other
Study locations
Center list to be confirmed — check the primary protocol.
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07489859 · ARTEDU