Central venous cannulation in neonates.

A modified technique for central venous cannulation for parenteral nutrition in neonates has been developed. The internal or external jugular veins are cannulated and the catheter is tunneled out onto the anterior part of the chest wall through a long subcutaneous tunnel. Fixation of the catheter is accomplished by gluing two small pieces of Silastic sheeting to the catheter and then suturing this sandwich to the skin. Over 150 central venous catheters for total parenteral nutrition have been placed using this method. The reduced rate of catheter-related complications and improved ease of nursing care have provided excellent results.