Pitfalls:

Immediate: unsuccessful attempts are most commonly due to puncturing the posterior wall and failing to visualize the needle tip as it enters the vessel. If care is not taken accidental injury to surrounding structures or inadvertent arterial cannulation is possible.

Late: Dislodgement is the most common cause of USG PIV failure as is often due to the placement of a short catheter in a deeper vein. It is recommended that A MINIMUM of 1 cm of catheter is left within the vessel after placement to prevent dislodgement by movement of the skin and soft tissues and ideally at least half of the catheter length is intraluminal. Given deeper vessels are often targeted in the US-guided technique compared to the landmark technique it is often beneficial to choose a longer catheter for placement.