Insertion of umbilical venous catheters past the ductus venosus using the double catheter technique

Editor—We describe the use of the double catheter technique for umbilical venous catheterisation. Such a technique has been described before for the cannulation of the umbilical arteries,1 but to our knowledge has not been described for umbilical venous catheter (UVC) insertion. One of the major problems with insertion of UVCs is failure of the catheter to negotiate the ductus venosus, thereby preventing it traversing the inferior vena cava (IVC).2 3 If this occurs the double catheter technique can be used as follows. After the UVC is inserted …