Access needle gauge and complication rate during central venous catheter insertion: a cohort study.

Summary: When doctors need to give medicines or fluids directly into a large vein, they insert a tube called a central line. To start this process, they use a needle to find the vein. Needles come in different thicknesses, known as gauges. Doctors wanted to know if using a thicker or thinner needle changes the chance of causing an injury or problem during the procedure. By looking back at past patient records, this study found that the size of the needle does not make a difference. The risk of problems is exactly the same no matter which needle size the doctor uses.