PO-0898 Umbilical Catheter And Blood Sampling In Very Low Birth Weight Infants For The First 72 Hour Of Life Protocol

Abstract

Background and aims Very low birth weight (VLBW) infants are extremely vulnerable and usually require central catheters and frequent blood tests. Our aim was to develop a protocol regarding umbilical catheter fixation and blood samples for VLBW during the first 72 h of life. Methods A retrospective study was carried out by a multidisciplinary team describing the intervention variables in 10 VLBW admitted to our Unit. In parallel a bibliographic research was performed on the International data bases, answering our PICO questions. The population of the study was VLBW under 32 weeks of life and/or under 1.500 grams of weight. Interventions were catheter fixation, number, volume and speed of extraction and reinfusion during first 72 h. Results Our population had a mean gestational age and birth weight of 30 weeks and 1200 grams. Our data showed a mean of 11 tests per patient during first 72 h of life, none using umbilical cord blood. Registration of velocity was not reported. After a literature review we designed a protocol of catheter fixation and blood samples for VLBW during first 72 h. The protocol included using cord blood for the first sampling and a description of adequate sample size and velocities. Conclusions An evidence based practice leads to improve blood sampling in VLBW infants. Post intervention results are still to be measured.