Complications Involving Central Venous Catheter Insertion in Newborns Admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

Abstract

Background: Developments in the use of central venous catheters have improved the treatment of critically ill newborns. Objectives: The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the rate of catheter-related complications and associated risk factors in newborns. Patients and Methods: This cross sectional study evaluated 60 infants with indications for central venous catheters who were selected by census from 2007 to 2014 in Baqiyatallah Hospital in Tehran, Iran. The catheters were Broviac numbers 14 - 16. Results: Ultimately, 60 cases (17 males and 43 females) with a mean age of 26.25 ± 20.09 days (Min = 1 day and Max = 153 days) underwent analysis. The most common reasons for venous catheter placement (98.3%) were prolonged hospitalization and lack of peripheral vessels. The most common complication was catheter-related infection, which occurred in 20 patients (33.3%). Death occurred in 24 patients (40.0%), but only 3 deaths (5%) were due to complications from the central venous catheter. A significant relationship was evident between infection and catheterization duration (P = 0.02). Conclusions: Most of the catheter-related deaths were due to severe sepsis and hemothorax, and a significant relationship was noted between infection and both the mortality rate and catheterization duration. A significant relationship was also evident between birth weight and infection rates.