Percutaneous catheterisation of the radial artery in newborn babies using transillumination.
A technique for inserting radial artery catheters percutaneously in newborn babies using transillumination is described. Catheterisation was successful in 69% of the 107 babies in whom it was attempted. In the last 30 attempts there was an 85% success rate with an average useful life of 100 hours. The average weight of these babies was 1405 g, with a range of 620--4250 g. The method has several advantages over previous methods.
D001158:Arteries; D002404:Catheterization / Q000379:methods*; D005542:Forearm / Q000098:blood supply*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D013997:Time Factors; D014172:Transillumination / Q000379:methods*