Peripheral venous pressure is an alternative to central venous pressure in paediatric surgery patients

BACKGROUND: Peripheral venous pressure (PVP) is easily and safely measured. In adults, PVP correlates closely with central venous pressure (CVP) during major non-cardiac surgery. The objective of this study was to evaluate the agreement between CVP and PVP in children during major surgery and during recovery. METHODS: Fifty patients aged 3-9 years, scheduled for major elective surgery, each underwent simultaneous measurements of CVP and PVP at random points during controlled ventilation intraoperatively (six readings) and during spontaneous ventilation in the post-anaesthesia care unit (three readings). In a subset of four patients, measurements were taken during periods of hypotension and subsequent fluid resuscitation (15 readings from each patient). RESULTS: Peripheral venous pressure was closely correlated to CVP intraoperatively, during controlled ventilation (r=0.93), with a bias of 1.92 (0.47) mmHg (95% confidence interval = 2.16-1.68). In the post-anaesthesia care unit, during spontaneous ventilation, PVP correlated strongly with CVP (r = 0.89), with a bias of 2.45 (0.57) mmHg (95% confidence interval = 2.73-2.17). During periods of intraoperative hypotension and fluid resuscitation, within-patient changes in PVP mirrored changes in CVP (r = 0.92). CONCLUSION: In children undergoing major surgery, PVP showed good agreement with CVP in the perioperative period. As changes in PVP parallel, in direction, changes in CVP, PVP monitoring may offer an alternative to direct CVP measurement for perioperative estimation of volume status and guiding fluid therapy.