title: Infraumbilical entry into the peritoneal cavity through a small incision for the identification and cannulation of an umbilical artery.
abstract: An infra-umbilical entry into the peritoneal cavity through a small incision, without anesthesia, for the identification and cannulation of an umbilical artery was employed for monitoring and therapy in five prematurely born neonates. The extra-peritoneal approach to umbilical artery identification and cannulation had been unsuccessful in all of these cases. The operations were carried out in the neonatal intensive care unit under strict surgical asepsis. Microsurgical techniques with 2.5 times magnification and microsurgical instruments were employed and found to be quite useful. In all five cases, an umbilical artery was readily identified and cannulated and there were no postoperative complications attributed to this approach.
mesh_terms: D001784:Blood Gas Analysis; D002404:Catheterization / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008866:Microsurgery / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D010529:Peritoneal Cavity / Q000601:surgery*; D012127:Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn / Q000097:blood; D014469:Umbilical Arteries; D014472:Umbilicus / Q000601:surgery*