Lenz H, et al. - By analyzing 1,101 long-term central venous catheter insertion procedures done in patients > 18 years during a five-year period, researchers focused on early complications, given long-term venous access is the standard practice for the delivery of chemotherapy, fluid therapy, antibiotics, and parenteral nutrition, and percutaneous puncture of the subclavian and internal jugular veins using the Seldinger technique or surgical cutdown of the cephalic vein are the most commonly used methods. The favored access was the Seldinger technique utilizing anatomical landmarks at the left subclavian vein. Fluoroscopy was not adopted. Relative to other published data, a high success rate of first-attempt insertions was documented in this study. Findings also revealed an acceptable and low rate of pneumothorax, hematoma, and infections. However, a relatively high number of malpositioned catheters was noted. The routine use of fluoroscopy during the procedure could have seemingly prevented this.