Advantage of Intravenous Catheter Needle in Enhancement CT in Children

Objective To investigate the advantages of intravenous catheter needle in enhancement CT in children. Methods From June 2010 to June 2011, a total of 862 pediatric patients (485 boys and 377 girls, at the age of 0-8) who were underwent enhancement CT for various reasons were included into this study. Informed consent was obtained from all participates. According to different puncture methods, they were randomly divided into intravenous catheter needle group (n=431) and scalp needle group (n=431). The swelling and leakage of the puncture site were observed. The study protocol was approved by the Ethical Review Board of Investigation in Human Being of West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University. Informed consent was obtained from all participants. Results The rate of success puncturation in intravenous catheter needle group were higher than that of scalp needle group [99.1%(427/431) vs. 97.2%(419/431)], with significant difference (P<0.05). The leakage was observed in 12 cases (2.8%) and 4 cases (0.9%) in scalp needle group and intravenous catheter needle group, respectively (χ2=4.07, P=0.04). Compared with scalp needle group, the resistance of puncture in children were more obvious than that of intravenous catheter group. Conclusions The intravenous catheter needles are easy to operate, fixed and could reduce pain than scalp needles in enhancement CT in children. Key words: scalp needles; intravenous catheter needles; enhancement CT