SonoKids PROC bladder cath

We describe a case of an infant born at 39 weeks of gestation who was in the neonatal intensive care unit for postoperative management of congenital heart disease and underwent bedside ultrasound-guided percutaneous cystostomy to treat an iatrogenic urethral injury. The procedure was uneventful, successful, and no complications were noted. This case demonstrates that this procedure is safe and minimally invasive. Indications, contraindications, techniques, potential complications, and the safety of performing this procedure in a bedside setting are discussed...

BACKGROUND: Urethral catheterization is the method of choice for obtaining samples for urine culture and urine analysis in infants. Before the procedure, there is little certainty of the presence or amount of urine in the bladder. Consequently, this relatively invasive and uncomfortable procedure often needs to be repeated. The newly available technology of portable ultrasound may be useful in reducing the number of unsuccessful procedures. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the utility of bedside ultrasound of the bladder performed by pediatric emergency medicine physicians before catheterization in reducing the number of unsuccessful attempts...