Migration of Umbilical Venous Catheters. Plooij-Lusthusz Anneloes M,van Vreeswijk Nick,van Stuijvenberg Margriet,Bos Arend F,Kooi Elisabeth M W American journal of perinatology OBJECTIVE:Migration of umbilical venous catheters (UVCs) after initial correct position has been described. The aim of this study was to assess the incidence of malposition of the tip of the UVCs at 24 to 36 hours postinsertion. STUDY DESIGN:Retrospective analysis of all neonates who had UVC placement in a 14-month period. The primary outcome was the rate of UVCs incorrectly positioned 24 to 36 hours after initial correct placement, defined as the UVC tip below or more than 5 mm above the level of the right diaphragm on a thoracoabdominal X-ray. RESULTS:We included 86 neonates with a median (range) birth weight of 1,617 (535-5,000) grams, and gestational age of 31 (24-42) weeks. Of the 80 UVCs that were further analyzed, only in 38 (48%) of 80 patients, the tip of the UVC still had a correct position 24 to 36 hours after initial placement. In 22 (28%) of 80 patients, the UVCs had a position that was too high and in 20 (25%) that was too low. CONCLUSION:More than half of UVCs migrated at 24 to 36 hours postinsertion to positions known to have higher complication rates. We, therefore, recommend follow-up evaluation at 24 to 36 hours postinsertion, to prevent complications from malposition. 10.1055/s-0038-1677016

Umbilical catheter-associated complications in a level IV neonatal intensive care unit. Levit Orly L,Shabanova Veronika,Bizzarro Matthew J Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association OBJECTIVE:To assess complication rates and risks associated with the use of umbilical catheters. STUDY DESIGN:An observational cohort study was conducted in a level IV neonatal intensive care unit over 11 years. Any neonate with an umbilical catheter placed during this period was included. Complication event rates over time were assessed via Poisson and Cox regressions. RESULTS:Fifty one of 2035 umbilical arterial catheters (2.5%) and 269 of 2017 umbilical venous catheters placed (13.3%) developed a complication. Positional issues comprised most umbilical venous catheter-associated complications (86.2%) and breaks/ruptures the majority in umbilical arterial catheters (41.2%). The cumulative incidence of a complication increased most notably after 10 days of umbilical arterial catheter use and 16 days of umbilical venous catheter use. CONCLUSIONS:Complications occurred in a relatively low percentage of umbilical catheters placed in our neonatal intensive care unit. Extended catheter dwell time remains a significant risk of developing a complication. 10.1038/s41372-019-0579-3

Estimating insertion length of umbilical arterial and venous catheters in newborn infants: time for change. The journal of maternal-fetal & neonatal medicine : the official journal of the European Association of Perinatal Medicine, the Federation of Asia and Oceania Perinatal Societies, the International Society of Perinatal Obstetricians BACKGROUND:Umbilical catheters are inserted through the umbilical artery or vein at birth and are crucial in neonatal care. There are several different methods of estimating adequate insertion length of umbilical catheters based on one of two hypotheses; that the insertion length of the UC is correlated to either the infant's birth weight or an external length measurement. AIM:To review the published literature on methods of estimating insertion lengths of umbilical arterial catheters (UACs) and umbilical venous catheters (UVCs) in newborn infants. METHODS:Systematic search on Medline was undertaken using keywords for relevant papers up to March 2019. Papers were selected by manual search of titles and abstracts. RESULTS:Formulae for predicting umbilical catheter insertion length are unreliable, particularly for UVCs. There is also conflicting evidence around whether birth weight-based formulae are more reliable than external length-based formulae. Studies comparing various methods to determine their efficacy to show that current formulae have a low accuracy for determining both UVC and UAC positioning. CONCLUSIONS:Current formulae for estimating insertion length of umbilical catheters are not fit for purpose. We propose a new observational study which uses a new external length measurement, the sternal notch to umbilicus length, to develop a more reliable formula for the insertion of UVC and UAC to an adequate length. 10.1080/14767058.2020.1838478