Ultrasound-Guided Long-Axis Versus Short-Axis Femoral Artery Catheterization in Neonates and Infants Undergoing Cardiac Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Study

Anaesthesia management of interventional cardiac catheterisation for pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum and critical pulmonary stenosis: a retrospective analysis

OBJECTIVE

Pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum and critical pulmonary stenosis usually have to undergo treatment in the neonatal period. Compared to traditional surgical intervention, catheter-based cardiac interventions may achieve similar or superior outcomes for neonates with pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum and critical pulmonary stenosis. However, there is limited literature on anaesthesia techniques, challenges, and risks associated with cardiac catheterisation in this population.

METHODS

This article retrospectively analysed the clinical data of pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum and critical pulmonary stenosis neonates who were treated with interventional cardiac catheterisation in our hospital from January 2015 to October 2022. Clinical outcomes considered were haemodynamic or pulse oxygen saturation instability, vasoactive requirements, prolonged intubation (>24 h postoperatively), and cardiovascular adverse events.

RESULTS

A total of 63 patients met the inclusion criteria. All patients survived the intervention. Among the patients with critical pulmonary stenosis, 40 successfully received percutaneous balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty, while three patients received ductal stenting due to moderate right ventricular dysplasia at the same time. For patients with pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum, 17 of the 23 patients successfully underwent percutaneous pulmonary valve perforation and percutaneous balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty. Of these, five patients underwent ductal stenting due to unstable pulmonary blood flow. Three patients only underwent ductal stenting. In addition, three patients received hybrid therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

There are various clinical techniques and risk challenges in the interventional cardiac catheterisation of neonatal pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum and critical pulmonary stenosis. However, by mastering the physiological and pathophysiological characteristics of the disease, adequately preparing for the perioperative period, and predicting the procedure process and potential complications, anaesthesia and surgical risks can be effectively managed.

Comparison between the long-axis in-plane and short-axis out-of-plane approaches for ultrasound-guided arterial cannulation: a meta-analysis and systematic review

BACKGROUND

The two most common methods for ultrasound-guided arterial cannulation are the long-axis in-plane (LA-IP) and short-axis out-of-plane (SA-OOP) approaches. However, it is uncertain which method is more advantageous. We conducted a meta-analysis of reported randomized clinical trials (RCTs) comparing the two techniques in terms of success rate, cannulation time, and complications.

METHODS

We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library database for RCTs comparing the LA-IP and SA-OOP techniques for ultrasound-guided arterial cannulation published from inception through April 31, 2022. The Cochrane Collaboration's Risk of Bias Tool was used to evaluate the methodological quality of each RCT. Review Manager 5.4 and Stata/SE 17.0 were used to analyze the two primary outcome measures (first-attempt success rate and total success rate) and two secondary outcome measures (cannulation time and complications).

RESULTS

A total of 13 RCTs with 1,377 patients were included. There were no significant differences in first-attempt success rate (risk ratio [RR], 0.93; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.78-1.12; P = 0.45; I² = 84%) and overall success rate (RR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.95-1.02; P = 0.48; I² = 57%). When compared with the LA-IP technique, the SA-OOP technique was associated with an increased incidence of posterior wall puncture (RR, 3.01; 95% CI, 1.27-7.14; P = 0.01; I² = 79%) and hematoma (RR, 2.15; 95% CI, 1.05-4.37; P = 0.04; I² = 63%). There was no significant difference in the incidence of vasospasm between techniques (RR, 1.26; 95% CI, 0.37-4.23; P = 0.07; I² = 53%).

CONCLUSIONS

The present results suggest that the SA-OOP technique is associated with a higher incidence of posterior wall puncture and hematoma than the LA-IP technique, whereas success rates are similar for the two ultrasound-guided arterial cannulation techniques. These findings should be experimentally evaluated in a more rigorous manner due to high inter-RCT heterogeneity.

Ultrasound-guided arterial cannulation in the paediatric population

BACKGROUND

In arterial line cannulation in children and adolescents, traditional methods of locating the artery include palpation and Doppler auditory assistance. It is unclear whether ultrasound guidance is superior to these methods. This is an update of a review originally published in 2016.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the benefits and harms of ultrasound guidance compared with traditional techniques (palpation, Doppler auditory assistance) for assisting arterial line placement at all potential sites in children and adolescents.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science from inception to 30 October 2022. We also searched four trials registers for ongoing trials, and we checked the reference lists of included studies and relevant reviews for other potentially eligible trials.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing ultrasound guidance versus other techniques (palpation or Doppler auditory assistance) to guide arterial line cannulation in children and adolescents (aged under 18 years). We planned to include quasi-RCTs and cluster-RCTs. For RCTs with both adult and paediatric populations, we planned to include only the paediatric population data.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two review authors independently assessed the risk of bias of included trials and extracted data. We used standard Cochrane meta-analytical procedures, and we applied the GRADE method to assess the certainty of evidence.

MAIN RESULTS

We included nine RCTs reporting 748 arterial cannulations in children and adolescents (under 18 years of age) undergoing different surgical procedures. Eight RCTs compared ultrasound with palpation, and one compared ultrasound with Doppler auditory assistance. Five studies reported the incidence of haematomas. Seven involved radial artery cannulation and two involved femoral artery cannulation. The people performing arterial cannulation were physicians with different levels of experience. The risk of bias varied across studies, with some studies lacking details of allocation concealment. It was not possible to blind practitioners in any case; this adds a performance bias that is inherent to the type of intervention studied in our review. Compared to traditional methods, ultrasound guidance probably causes a large increase in first-attempt success rates (risk ratio (RR) 2.01, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.64 to 2.46; 8 RCTs, 708 participants; moderate-certainty evidence) and probably causes a large reduction in the risk of complications such as haematoma formation (RR 0.26, 95% CI 0.14 to 0.47; 5 RCTs, 420 participants; moderate-certainty evidence). No studies reported data about ischaemic damage. Ultrasound guidance probably improves success rates within two attempts (RR 1.78, 95% CI 1.25 to 2.51; 2 RCTs, 134 participants; moderate-certainty evidence) and overall rate of successful cannulation (RR 1.32, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.59; 6 RCTs, 374 participants; moderate-certainty evidence). In addition, ultrasound guidance probably reduces the number of attempts to successful cannulation (mean difference (MD) -0.99 attempts, 95% CI -1.15 to -0.83; 5 RCTs, 368 participants; moderate-certainty evidence) and duration of the cannulation procedure (MD -98.77 seconds, 95% CI -150.02 to -47.52, 5 RCTs, 402 participants; moderate-certainty evidence). More studies are needed to confirm whether the improvement in first-attempt success rates is more pronounced in neonates and younger children compared to older children and adolescents.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

We identified moderate-certainty evidence that ultrasound guidance for arterial cannulation compared with palpation or Doppler auditory assistance improves first-attempt success rate, second-attempt success rate and overall success rate. We also found moderate-certainty evidence that ultrasound guidance reduces the incidence of complications, the number of attempts to successful cannulation and the duration of the cannulation procedure.

Modified Long-Axis In-plane Technique for Radial Artery Cannulation in Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background

Radial artery catheterization is a challenge for anesthetists in the pediatric population. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the modified long-axis in-plane (MLAX-IP) technique increased the success rate of radial artery catheterization in children.

Methods

This study involved 80 children who required arterial catheterization and were randomly divided into the MLAX-IP group and dynamic needle tip positioning (DNTP) group (40 cases in each group). Radial artery catheterization was performed using either the MLAX-IP technique or the DNTP technique.

Results

The first-attempt cannulation success rate was higher in the MLAX-IP group than in the DNTP group (95 vs. 80%, P = 0.043). The imaging time of the artery in the MLAX-IP group was longer than in the DNTP group (19.1 ± 3.1 vs. 9.6 ± 2.4 s, P < 0.001). While the total catheterization time was similar between the 2 groups (88.1 ± 23 vs. 86.9 ± 46.1 s, P = 0.475).

Conclusion

The first-attempt cannulation success rate with the MLAX-IP technique is increased, while the total catheterization time is similar between the 2 groups and puncture-related complications are fewer.