This study aimed to compare the applications of bedside ultrasonography (US) and bedside chest radiography (CR) in positioning peripherally inserted central venous catheter (PICC) at Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs).
The study is a prospective before and after self-control clinical trial. A consecutive series of 181 neonate patients were finally enrolled for PICC placement. CR, followed by US, was used to evaluate and readjust the sites of catheter tips. The imaging capability for PICC key structures, fluctuation of the measured data, measurement of tip-to-atrium distance, operation time, infants' body temperature changes, and direct expenses of the two imaging modalities were obtained and compared.
(1) Comparison in viewing PICC key structures: the display rate of catheter tip, SVC-and-right-atrium junction, IVC-and-right-atrium junction and tip-to-atrium distance is 99.47%, 100%, 100% and 99.47% for US and 100%, 98.42%, 97.37% and 95.79% for CR, respectively. (2) Fluctuation of the measured data by US and CR: the tip-to-atrium distance measured by US is 0.631 (0.435–0.820) cm, and that measured by CR is 0.593 (0.210–0.825) cm. US showed a narrower range of datum variance. (3) Consistency between US and CR: for consistency analysis, the Kappa coefficient (
US exhibited superior traits to CR in the positioning of PICC tip. It could be promising for routine use in NICU.