Fortunately, arterial placement of a CVL is a rare occurrance. Usually if the initial puncture is in an artery, it is clear that there is pulsatile bright red blood return and the CVL placement is not completed. The only situation where this may not be the case is when a patient has very low blood pressure, either from sepsis or cardiac arrest.

A CVL that has entered an artery will tend to go with the flow and head into the descending aorta, moving farther to the left than would be expected for a CVL that is in the SVC.