Enhancing cuff removal accuracy in paediatric patients with long-term venous catheters: The role of ultrasound.

Accurate localization of the cuff is crucial when performing a surgical cutdown procedure for the removal of long-term venous catheters. This small quality improvement study evaluated the effectiveness of ultrasound as a method for precise cuff localization in paediatric patients. Twelve children undergoing catheter removal were assessed by physicians using ultrasound in addition to traditional palpation to determine cuff position. In all cases, the cuff location identified by ultrasound corresponded precisely with the actual position observed during the surgical cutdown procedure. In three cases where palpation alone did not allow the physician to confidently identify the cuff location, ultrasound proved to be particularly useful for accurate localization. These findings suggest that the cuff of long-term venous catheters exhibits high echogenicity, and that ultrasound might serve as a valuable adjunct to palpation, enabling more accurate cuff localization during surgical cutdown procedures.