Dorsalis pedis cannulation: An overlooked option—A case report

Radial artery is mostly used for arterial cannulation because of its location, collateral circulation, and less complications. Dorsalis pedis artery can be an alternative for arterial cannulation in difficult radial or brachial arteries cannulation situations as it is mostly overlooked. We present a case of a 45-year-old female planned for supratentorial craniotomy for excision of meningioma. After induction of anesthesia, the invasive access couldn’t be attained after multiple attempts under ultrasound guidance by five senior anesthesiologists. The surgery was abandoned, and the patient awakened. The case was rescheduled after 2 days. The new anesthesia team attained the arterial access in the right dorsalis pedis artery and the central venous access in the right internal jugular vein in the first attempt. No complications were noted post-operatively. The dorsalis pedis artery can be safely used for arterial cannulation when radial artery cannulation is not possible.