[Infusion sets in neonatology: What practices in France?]

Therapeutic management of ill newborns can require complex infusion practices using medical devices (MD). Currently, there does not exist any recommendations concerning these infusion practices. The objective of this work was to study and characterise French infusion methods neonatal and neonatal intensive care units.

The study was performed in 2019, during 6 months. French hospitals possessing high (type 3) or medium (type 2B) grade maternity ward were contacted and asked to complete a 5 part online survey, to gather general information about the hospital/ward, infusion methods (overall and detailed), and detailed information about the medications and MD used.

The participation level was of 19.6 % Type 3 maternities use overall two-times more MD than those of type 2B. The vascular access device most commonly used was a single lumen catheter (80.6 % of infusion methods). 100 % of the hospitals having answered used multi-access devices (three-way tap, multiport infusion manifold, Y-extension lines) and 93.5 % used a pump-infusor. Lipidic filters for parenteral nutrition were used in 78.6 % of the hospitals. Two general standard of infusion methods were isolated: a simple version with two access points (type 2B hospitals), and a complex one with five access points (from hospitals with type 3 maternities).

Neonatal infusion practices in France are very heterogeneous, thus exposing the patients to a degree of variability during their therapeutic management. This work is a first step forwards to help analyse and anticipate the risks of content/container interactions caused by infusion practices.