Ultrasound Imaging of the Inferior Vena Cava to Confirm Correct Guidewire Placement After Femoral Venous Cannulation in Critically Ill Neonates: A Case Report.

Ultrasound-guided femoral venous cannulation is frequently performed in neonates. Identification of femoral vessels under ultrasound navigation is unreliable and time consuming in hemodynamically unstable neonates with feeble femoral arterial pulse. Confirming the guidewire placement in a femoral vein is a crucial step for preventing inadvertent femoral artery dilation, which may be a challenging task in an emergency situation. We describe 2 incidents wherein guidewires placed via femoral veins in neonates were detected in the inferior vena cava on abdominal ultrasound. We advocate abdominal inferior vena cava imaging to confirm the correct placement of a guidewire placed via femoral vein in emergency situations.