An umbilical catheter with a single end hole may be used for the catheterization of either umbilical artery or vein.
On most occasions, umbilical catheter placement is advantageous.
Infants with a birth weight of less than 1.5 kg will usually require a 3.5-Fr catheter for arterial catheterization. 5-Fr catheters are used for arterial placement in larger infants.
Umbilical catheter provides direct access to the arterial system, thus enabling arterial blood sampling as well as the measurement of the systemic arterial blood pressure.
It is one of the commonly performed procedures in extremely premature neonates.
The procedure is relatively easy to perform but requires practice.