CASE REPORT article
Front. Pediatr.
Sec. General Pediatrics and Pediatric Emergency Care
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fped.2025.1638983
Nursing Vigilance in Preventing Catheter Fragment Migration: A Dual Case Report of Peripheral Venous Catheter Fractures in Pediatric Practice
Provisionally accepted
- Huaian Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Huaian, China
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Background: Indwelling venous catheters, including peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVCs), are vital in pediatric care for delivering medications and fluids. However, catheter fractures, though rare (incidence 0-2.1%), pose serious risks such as pulmonary embolism or cardiac arrhythmias if fragments migrate. While central venous catheter fractures are well-documented, PIVC fractures are underreported despite their widespread use. Case Presentation: This report details two pediatric cases of PIVC fractures. In the first, a 1-day-old female neonate experienced a fractured left axillary catheter. Nursing staff promptly applied compression and immobilization, enabling successful surgical retrieval of a 3.5 cm fragment within 6 hours, with no complications. In the second, a 1-year-old male infant had a right temporal vein catheter fracture, unrecognized for 6 days due to initial oversight, resulting in localized inflammation. CT angiography and ultrasound confirmed fragment locations, guiding surgical removal of a 1.5 cm fragment. Discussion: These cases highlight the rarity of PIVC fractures and the pivotal role of nursing vigilance in early detection-marked by signs like resistance during flushing or swelling. Timely
Keywords: Catheter fracture, Pediatric emergency, Retained fragment, Venous Access Team, standardized protocols
Received: 31 May 2025; Accepted: 01 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Pu, Zhang, Chen and Meng. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Hongyan Meng, Huaian Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Huaian, China
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