A novel and accurate method for estimating umbilical arterial and venous catheter insertion length.

Abstract

To develop a novel, rapid, and more accurate model for estimating umbilical arterial (UAC) and venous catheter (UVC) insertion length. We evaluated UACs and UVCs from a retrospective cohort to determine the rate of correct initial positioning based on conventional birth weight-based equations utilized in our neonatal intensive care unit. We then derived new equations, developed the mobile application, UmbiCalc, to simplify implementation of the new equations, and validated their accuracy with prospective utilization. The conventional equations successfully predicted insertion length in 69% (364 of 524) of UACs and only 36% (194 of 544) of UVCs. Our new model was prospectively applied to 68 UAC and 80 UVC placements with successful initial positioning achieved in 90% [95% CI, 80.2-94.9] and 76% [95% CI, 65.9-84.2], respectively. Our novel approach more accurately estimates UAC and UVC insertion length.