Central Line Repair in Pediatric Patients in the Pediatric Emergency Department by Emergency Physicians—A Single-Center Experience

Abstract

Introduction Central venous catheters are more common with advanced treatments for a variety of conditions. These catheters may need to be repaired after local damage. This has been performed by those more involved with catheter placement such as pediatric surgeons and interventional radiologists. Gastroenterologists who treat many of these patients have also been involved with catheter repair. Repair by pediatric emergency physicians has not been explored. Such repairs by the emergency physician may be time saving and avoid unnecessary admissions. Methods This was a retrospective study of a single center's experience with catheter repair. The performers and outcomes were compared. Results During the study period, 52 catheter repairs were performed on 7 children. Forty of the repairs were performed by a pediatric emergency physician, 5 by pediatric surgeons, and 5 by interventional radiology. All but 1 repair was successful. Infectious complications were reported in 3 cases. None required catheter removal. The length of stay was significantly shorter for repair by emergency physician. Conclusions Central line catheter repair can be performed successfully by pediatric emergency physician with minimal complications. A dedicated process of repair tutoring is required and may avoid infectious complications.