Foreign body abscess caused by a remaining piece of an umbilical arterial catheter in a 3-year old girl

Abstract

Since the 1960s umbilical catheterization has been a common method for vascular access, both arterial [1] and venous [2], in the sick newborn. Increased utilization of this procedure has demonstrated a number of complications including catheter related sepsis [3], thrombotic and embolic events [5], hemorrhage [1], limb ischemia, dissection of vessels, hypertension, congestive heart failure, visceral gangrene, necrotizing enterocolitis and liver abscesses [4]. Abscesses caused by umbilical arterial catheters (UAC) however are very rare in comparison to other complications. Most of the complications were reported during or just after the removal of the umbilical arterial catheter. We would like to present this very uncommon case of a late onset abscess lateral to the bladder caused by a remaining piece of a transected UAC in a 3-year old girl.

Keywords

• Umbilical artery catheter
• Foreign body abscess