Femoral Arterial Cannulation in Infants Following Complicated Sternal Re-entry

In children, many of the standard operative sites are either occluded, stenosed, or too small for the smallest manufactured cannulas. In these instances, it may be feasible to utilize angio-catheters for arterial access until central cannulation can be achieved safely. In an in vitro model, we have simulated a cardiopulmonary bypass circuit and arterial cannulation with angio-catheters.

It appears that angio-catheters may be used with acceptable flow hemodynamics for blood vessels too small for standard cannulas.

We have performed this successfully in a 5 kg child.

We have completed the cardiopulmonary bypass model and are ready to submit the hemodynamic data. We would like to submit to a national meeting and hopefully for publication thereafter.