[Complications of arterial catheterization in children].
The radial artery catheterization with the purpose of children's monitoring has been more and more used in Pediatric Intensive Care Units, and many times, is use is indispensable, like in cardiac surgery post-operative cases. However, there are only a few articles on the subject among us.


OBJECTIVE
To analyse the complications of radial artery catheterization in the post-operative of cardiac surgery in children.


METHODS
We studied the complications of this procedure in 120 children in cardiac surgery post-operative range from 1 month to 2 years. The children were catheterized by percutaneous technique (n = 67) and by cutdown technique (n = 53). The following complications were analysed in relation to the placement time of the catheter and the used technique: local infection, hemorrhagic complication, ischemia, catheter occlusion and accidental catheter displacement.


RESULTS
Infection, ischemia and hemorrhage were more frequent and statistically significant in patients submitted to cutdown technique, while the catheter occlusion and accidental displacement were similar in both groups. The placement time of the catheter was an important variable in our study. All of the other infection cases occurred after 72 hours of the catheterization and the frequency of hemorrhage and ischemia was higher in the first 72 hours.


CONCLUSIONS
The main complications of this proceeding are related to the technic utilized, time of utilization of the catheter and to the characteristics of the patients.
Souza
N d
Nd
Unidade de cuidados intensivos pediátricos, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP.
Carvalho
A C
AC
Carvalho
W B
WB
Souza
R L
RL
Oliveira
N F
NF
D002406:Catheterization, Peripheral / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic; D011184:Postoperative Period; D017534:Radial Artery; D013997:Time Factors