Abstract: Objective: To compare the effects of midline catheters inserted through different puncture veins in neonates, and to provide a basis for selecting the best puncture vein for the insertion of midline catheters in critical neonates. Methods: A retrospective study was adopted, and 244 neonates with indwelling midline catheters admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in a tertiary grade A general hospital in Anhui province from August 2020 to December 2023 were selected by convenience sampling method as the research subjects. The indwelling time of catheters, the incidence of catheter-related complications, the success rate of one-time puncture and the one-time successful catheter delivery rate were compared. Results: The indwelling time of midline catheters was 14(10, 17) days for the axillary vein, 13(11, 19) days for the basilic vein, 13(10, 18) days for the median cubital vein, 11(7, 13) days for the superficial temporal vein, 10(7, 14) days for the cephalic vein, and 4(4, 6) days for the great saphenous vein. There was a significant difference in the indwelling time among different puncture veins (P<0.05). The incidence of catheter-related complications was 0 for the axillary vein, 0 for the basilic vein, 8.6% for the median cubital vein, 33.3% for the superficial temporal vein, 46.7% for the cephalic vein, and 100.0% for the great saphenous vein. There was a significant difference in the incidence of complications among different puncture veins (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the one-time puncture success rate among each group (P>0.05), but the one-time successful catheter delivery rates of the median cubital vein and axillary vein were significantly higher than that of superficial temporal vein (both P<0.05). Conclusion: Inserting midline catheters in the axillary vein and the median cubital vein can prolong the indwelling time of the catheter, improve the smoothness of catheter delivery, and reduce the incidence of complications. Therefore, it is recommended that when performing midline catheters catheterization in newborns, the axillary vein and the median cubital vein should be given priority.

Key words: midline catheter; newborn; complication; indwelling time; nursing