Children (Basel). 2022 May 9;9(5):688. doi: 10.3390/children9050688.

Chiara Grimaldi ¹, Francesca Gigola ², Kejd Bici ¹, Chiara Oreglio ², Riccardo Coletta ^1 3, Antonino Morabito ^2 3

Author information

¹Department of Pediatric Surgery, Meyer Children's Hospital, 50139 Florence, Italy.

²Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health (NEUROFARBA), University of Florence, 50121 Florence, Italy.

³School of Environment and Life Science, University of Salford, Salford M5 4NT, UK.

Abstract

Short Bowel Syndrome and intestinal failure are chronic and severe conditions that may require life-long parenteral nutrition in children. Survival of these children rely on the correct functioning of central venous catheters; therefore, careful management, prevention, and treatment of complications is of paramount importance. Despite a growing awareness of preserving the vascular real estate, a certain number of patients still experience a progressive and life-threatening exhaustion of vascular access. We searched the literature to highlight the current management of children with vascular exhaustion, specifically focusing on vascular access salvage strategies and last-resource alternative routes to central veins. Given the paucity of data, results are reported in the form of a narrative review.