False diagnosis of persistent fetal circulation caused by misplacement of umbilical artery catheter

We have described two cases in which persistent fetal circulation was mistakenly diagnosed because umbilical artery catheters were placed in too high a position. In one case, repeated doses of tolazoline were given unnecessarily. While high placement of umbilical artery catheters is commonly accepted, misplacement may not always be apparent on routine AP chest films taken to confirm catheter positioning.