[Intravascular monitoring by axillary artery cannulation in infants]

In patients with respiratory failure and shock serial arterial blood analyses are important to calculate adequate respiratory therapy. During circulatory insufficiency punction of a radial artery can be difficult or impossible, especially in very young patients. The case report of a 9-month old female infant with septic shock and Waterhouse-Friderichsen's syndrome illustrates these problems and is helpful to describe an alternative technique. Percutaneous axillary arterial catheterization with a disposable venous cannula proved to be a simple and quick method to obtain the possibility of arterial monitoring in very young patients with severe hypotension.