Central Venous Access in Children – Recent Trends

Pediatric central venous access is often required and is difficult to achieve especially in neonates and children below 5 years of age. All pediatric central venous access should be performed under ultrasound guidance. For short-term central venous access, two types of catheters are available: peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) and temporary central venous catheters (CVCs) also known as non-tunneled central venous catheters. For patients requiring long-term central venous access for any reason, two broad types of catheters/devices are available: cuffed central venous catheters also known as tunneled central venous catheters and implantable venous ports. The aim of this chapter is to provide the reader information about technique of central venous catheter placement and how to choose which type of catheter is best suited for a particular situation.