The ultrasound-guided technique allows to puncture and cannulate deep veins of the upper limbs, either to insert short peripheral cannulas (<6 cm) or long peripheral cannulas (6-15 cm) - the so-called' mini- midline'.
The substantial differences between these two devices are in terms of duration (the life expectancy of an ultrasound guided short cannula is 24-48 hours, while a mini-midline can remain in place even for three or four weeks) and in terms of material (short cannulas are in polytetrafluoroethylene - teflon - or in polyurethane; mini-midlines are in polyurethane or polyethylene or polyether –block-amide, PEBA) and in term of costs (higher for mini-midline).