Umbilical Vein Catheterization

* Abbreviations: CDC, : Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CVC, : central venous catheter DV, : ductus venosus UVC, : umbilical venous catheter Please watch the video below depicting resistance to the passage of an umbilical venous catheter. Think first, then answer the question below.⇓ Figure. Click here to view the video. (Reproduced with permission of Akshaya Vachharajani, MD, and The Saigh Foundation Pediatric Simulation Center, St. Louis Children's Hospital & Washington University School of Medicine. Copyright 2012.) How long can an umbilical venous catheter be used without risk of blood stream infection? 1. 1 week 2. 5 days 3. 4 weeks 4. 14 days 5. 10 days Time out is not recorded on the video to protect the identity of the neonate. The video depicts the resistance to the passage of the catheter. A momentary resistance was frequently but not always felt as the catheter tip entered the ductus venosus (DV) in a study by Dunn. (1) A study revealed that all 50 (100%) of the neonates examined by ultrasound had a patent DV on day 1. (2) Only 33 (66%) of these neonates had a patent DV at 5 days of age. The resistance felt is most probably due to the anatomy and not DV closure. This is because the DV connects the …