<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><xml><records><record><source-app name="Biblio" version="7.x">Drupal-Biblio</source-app><ref-type>17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Vrachatis, Dimitrios A</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Papathanasiou, Konstantinos A</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Anagnostopoulos, Ioannis</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Giotaki, Sotiria G</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Kousta, Maria</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Karavasilis, Christos</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Piperis, Christos</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Tolios, Panagiotis</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Kaoukis, Andreas</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Raisakis, Konstantinos</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Giannopoulos, Georgios</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Papaioannou, Theodore G</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Siasos, Gerasimos</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Deftereos, Spyridon</style></author></authors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Quantifying the Learning Curve in Ultrasound-Guided Vascular Access: Proficiency Metrics of Self-Taught Axillary Vein Puncture for CIED Implantation.</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Med Sci (Basel)</style></secondary-title><alt-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Med Sci (Basel)</style></alt-title></titles><keywords><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Aged</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Aged, 80 and over</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Axillary Vein</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Defibrillators, Implantable</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Female</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Humans</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Learning Curve</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Male</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Middle Aged</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Pacemaker, Artificial</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Prospective Studies</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Prosthesis Implantation</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Punctures</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Registries</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Ultrasonography, Interventional</style></keyword></keywords><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2026</style></year><pub-dates><date><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2026 Feb 27</style></date></pub-dates></dates><volume><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">14</style></volume><language><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">eng</style></language><abstract><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">BACKGROUND: Ultrasound (US)-guided axillary vein puncture (AVP) is an established technique for cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) implantation. Yet real-world data concerning shifting from conventional venous access into US-guided AVP are not widely available.

METHODS: This is a single-center prospective registry reporting safety (complications) and efficacy (success rate: i.e., accomplishment of the vein access utilizing only the initially employed approach) of self-taught US-guided AVP integration into the standard workflow of CIED procedures.

RESULTS: A total of 539 patients (mean age 71.5 ± 12.4 years old, 78.7% males) were treated in our institution over a three-year period. Regarding CIED type and lead number, 58.3% used an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, 32% used permanent pacemakers, and two leads were involved in 65.8% of the cases and three leads in 8.9%. Before integration of US-guided AVP, the venous access success rate was 93.5%. The US-guided AVP success rate was 377/400 procedures (94.2%). After the first semester of US-guided AVP utilization, a pattern of increased success rate was observed ( = 0.002) and remained stable over the following semesters. No major complication (periprocedural or 30-day mortality, hemothorax, pneumothorax and tamponade) occurred after US AVP integration in our workflow.

CONCLUSIONS: The integration of US-guided AVP in a self-taught manner is feasible among electrophysiologists with experience in US-guided vascular access. A high success rate can be reached quickly and safely.</style></abstract><issue><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">1</style></issue><custom1><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/41892830?dopt=Abstract</style></custom1></record></records></xml>