Arterial Catheter Care in ICU: Where Clinical Guidelines Agree and Where Gaps Remain

Posted on 4 August 2026

Study Overview

Arterial catheters are widely used in intensive care for continuous blood pressure monitoring and blood sampling. However, practices surrounding their insertion, management, and removal can vary between clinicians and healthcare services.

This systematic review examined clinical practice guidelines for arterial catheter care in intensive care and critically appraised the quality and consistency of their recommendations across the full catheter lifecycle.

Key Findings

Guideline recommendations varied across arterial catheter insertion, ongoing management, and removal.
Insertion guidance commonly addressed site selection, skin antisepsis, ultrasound use, and infection prevention.
Recommendations for dressing, securement, flushing, monitoring, and blood sampling were not always consistent or supported by strong evidence.
Guidance on when arterial catheters should be removed was limited, despite the importance of avoiding unnecessary dwell time.
Differences in guideline quality and reporting make it difficult for intensive care services to establish one clear, evidence-based standard.

Implications

The review highlights the need for clearer and more consistent arterial catheter guidance across the entire device lifecycle. Standardised recommendations could help reduce practice variation, support safer care, and provide clinicians with greater confidence when deciding how arterial catheters should be inserted, maintained, and removed.

Future guidelines should use stronger development methods, clearly grade the supporting evidence, and place greater focus on daily assessment and timely removal.

Read more:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iccn.2026.104465

Authors: India Pearse; Annabel Levido; Amanda Corley; Natalie Barker; Nicole Marsh; Samantha Keogh

Arterial Catheter Care in ICU: Where Clinical Guidelines Agree and Where Gaps Remain

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