Umbilical artery catheterization complicated by multiple mycotic aortic aneurysms

A premature infant had three pseudoaneurysms of the thoracic and abdominal aorta secondary to umbilical artery catheterization and sepsis. The infant had septicemia as the direct result of bacterial contamination of an umbilical artery catheter with Staphylococcus aureus. The thoracic pseudoaneurysm caused massive hemothorax and the infant's death. The upper abdominal aortic aneurysm developed at the level of the renal arteries and caused decreased left renal blood flow and renal hypoplasia. The lower abdominal aneurysm involved the right iliac artery and was complicated by mural thrombosis and ischemia of the right leg. To our knowledge, this is the first published case of multiple mycotic aortic aneurysms after umbilical artery catheterization.