This project was formulated to determine if very low birth weight infants who receive umbilical artery catheters that are placed high in the thoracic aorta (T6-T8) are at higher risk of intraventricular hemorrhage than are infants that receive an umbilical artery catheter placed low in the abdominal aorta (L4- L5). We propose to randomize infants to receive either a high or low catheter and then to review the incidence of intraventricular hemorrhage. The project will enroll a total of 650 infants in several neonatal intensive care units beginning in 1989.
