A catheter (tube) placed in one of the arteries located in the umbilical cord is commonly uses for monitoring blood pressure or drawing blood in sick newborn babies. There seems to be significant variation between neonatal intensive care units in exactly how these catheters are used. This variation involves whether drugs that decrease blood clotting are added, what catheter materials is used, the catheter design, and the positioning of the catheter. This review looked at the effect of catheter material.
There were no significant effects of substituting a heparin bonded polyurethane catheter (a plastic catheter with anticoagulant medication built into the catheter) for the standard PVC catheter (a plastic catheter without the medication). The non-randomized study suggested that there may possibly be a benefit of using a catheter constructed from the material Silastic in reducing blood clots in the aorta.
Based on the limited information from this review, there are no demonstrated clinically relevant differences in outcomes between the use of PVC catheters and other materials. Therefore, other considerations such as price and ease of availability may dictate the catheter chosen. A trial that is large enough to demonstrate important clinical differences is warranted.