Ultrasound-Guided Central Venous Access With Different Anesthesia Methods in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Background Ultrasound (US)-guided internal jugular vein (IJV) catheterization in newborns is usually performed in the operating room with general anesthesia. This study aimed to show that US-guided IJV catheterization can be successfully performed with local anesthesia and sedation in newborns. Methods The files of newborn patients who underwent US-guided IJV catheterization between May 2017 and May 2020 were examined. Two groups were created according to the type of anesthesia applied during the procedure. The general characteristics of the newborns, the success of the procedure, the number of punctures, and the complication rates in both groups were compared. Results A total of 53 newborns were included in this study. Of the 62 procedures, 30 were performed under general anesthesia (group A) and 32 were performed under sedation (group B). Twenty-six (86.6%) of the newborns in group A and 19 (59.3%) in group B were catheterized at the first puncture. The median puncture numbers in groups A and B were 1 (1-3) and 1 (1-5), respectively. All of the patients in group A were successfully catheterized (n = 30; 100%), and all but one in group B could be catheterized (n = 32; 96.8%). Conclusion No significant differences in complications or procedural success rates were observed between newborns undergoing general anesthesia or sedation. US-guided IJV catheterization can be safely performed with sedation alone.