Nitroglycerin to Facilitate Radial Arterial Catheter Insertion in Children

Local nitroglycerin (NTG) was successfully used as a vasodilator to facilitate cannulation of the radial artery. NTG was used in adults by topical application as well as subcutaneous infiltration. Subcutaneous infiltration of NTG resulted in significant vasodilatation, improved palpability of the radial artery, reduced the number of punctures and the time needed for cannulation in adults. Topical NTG was reported to increase radial artery diameter in healthy volunteers without reduction in arterial blood pressure. In pediatric population, there no sufficient evidence for the effectiveness of NTG in improving radial artery cannulation. In a case report on two neonates, topical nitroderm ointment successfully reversed tissue ischemia secondary to radial artery cannulation The aim of this work is to evaluate the use of topical NTG (patch) for increasing the diameter of radial artery, improving the cannulation success, and decreasing catheter-related ischemic complications.