Background: Parenteral nutrition for newborn infants may be delivered via short peripheral cannulae or central venous catheters, which are usually sited percutaneously. The method of delivery may affect nutrient input, and consequently growth and development. Although potentially more difficult to site, percutaneous central venous catheters may be more stable than peripheral cannulae, and need less frequent replacement. These methods may also be associated with different risks of adverse events, including acquired systemic infection and extravasation injury.
Objectives: To review the evidence from randomised controlled trials that, in newborn infants who require parenteral nutrition, infusion via a percutaneous central venous catheter versus a peripheral cannula improves nutrient input, and growth and development, without increasing adverse consequences including systemic infection, or extravasation injuries.
Search strategy: We used the standard search strategy of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group. This included searches of the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, The Cochrane Library, Issue 4, 2003), MEDLINE (1966 - October 2003), EMBASE (1980 - October 2003), conference proceedings, and previous reviews.
Selection criteria: Randomised controlled trials that compared the effect of delivering parenteral nutrition via percutaneous central venous catheters versus peripheral cannulae in newborn infants.
Data collection and analysis: We extracted the data using the standard methods of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group, with separate evaluation of trial quality and data extraction by each author, and synthesis of data using relative risk, risk difference and mean difference.
Main results: We found three trials eligible for inclusion. These recruited a total of 262 infants and reported a number of different outcomes. One study showed that the use of a percutaneous central venous catheter was associated with a decreased risk of cumulative nutritional deficit during the trial period: Mean difference in the percentage of the prescribed nutritional intake actually received: -7.1% (95% confidence interval -11.2, -3.2). In another trial, infants in the percutaneous central venous catheter group needed significantly fewer catheters/cannulae per infant during the trial period: Mean difference in the number of catheters/cannulae per infant: -3.2 (95% confidence interval -5.13, -1.27). Meta-analysis of data from two trials did not find any evidence of an effect on the incidence of systemic infection: Typical relative risk: 0.90 (95% confidence interval 0.62, 1.32); typical risk difference: -0.04 (95% confidence interval -0.17, 0.10).
Reviewers' conclusions: Data from one small study suggest that the use of percutaneous central venous catheters to deliver parenteral nutrition in newborn infants improves nutrient input. The significance of this in relation to longer-term growth and developmental outcomes is unclear. Another study suggested that the use of percutaneous central venous catheters rather than peripheral cannulae decreases the number of catheters/cannulae needed to deliver the nutrition. We have not found any evidence that percutaneous central venous catheter use increases the risk of adverse events, particularly systemic infection.