Objective: To compare two different ways of central venous access in newborns regarding complications and success rates.
Study design: Descriptive study.
Place and duration of study: Third-level Newborn Intensive Care Units in Kahramanmaras Sutçu Imam University Health Practice and Research Hospital and Megapark Private Hospital, Turkey, between July 2017 and May 2019.
Methodology: The data of 132 and 81 patients who underwent tunnelled femoral vein (FV) and percutaneous internal jugular vein (IJV) access procedures, respectively, for advanced medical management were reviewed. Planned procedures performed in an operating room under general anaesthesia were included in the study. Demographic data of infants, kind and the number of complications, and findings in clinical follow-up were recorded.
Results: There were similar success rates between techniques. No complication requiring intervention occurred during the placement of the FV catheters. Four procedures were interrupted due to periprocedural complications requiring intervention in the placement of IJV catheters. The median value of catheter duration was 25.5 (15-36.75) and 14 (9-20) days in FV and IJV group, respectively, and the difference is significant (p<0.001). Lower infectious complications (p=0.008) were detected in the use of FV catheters.
Conclusions: Similar success rates were found for both ways of central venous access. IJV stent's intrathoracic complications can be too severe for sick infants to cope with. FV stents can also be used in infants with well-tolerated complications. Further studies should confirm the low infectious complication rate of this study in FV catheters.
Key words: Femoral vein, Internal jugular vein, Central venous access, Catheter-related infection, Infants.