Pediatric hematology and oncology
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Pediatr Hematol Oncol · Dec 2002
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialThe efficacy of heparinization in prolonging patency of arterial and central venous catheters in children: a randomized double-blind trial.
This study evaluates the efficacy of heparinization in prolonging patency of arterial and central venous catheters in children. A randomized double-blind trial in a tertiary 10-bed pediatric intensive care unit was used to evaluate 300 children (age older than 4 weeks, younger than 18 years). Trial medication consisted of either NaCl 0.9% infusion or NaCl 0.9% infusion to which 1 IU of heparin per milliliter was added. ⋯ No significant risk increase for nonpatency could be demonstrated for the nonheparinized central venous catheters (RR: 7.63; 95% CI: 0.40-145). The median duration of stay of the patent arterial and central venous catheters was similar for both treatment groups. These results indicate that the use of normal saline in arterial catheters is associated with an increased frequency of catheter nonpatency as compared with heparinized saline.