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External landmarks typically are used to guide placement of femoral central venous catheters in adults and children. In this study, researchers used ultrasound to determine the depth, location, and diameter of the femoral vein and its relation to the femoral artery in children.
A single pediatric fellow performed femoral artery and vein ultrasonography in a convenience sample of 84 euvolemic children younger than 9 years. The femoral artery and vein were identified according to specific criteria. The femoral artery partially overlapped the femoral vein in 4% of cases and completely overlapped the vein in 8%. Depth of the femoral vein increased with age, ranging from a mean of 6.5 mm in neonates to 11.2 mm in 9-year-olds. Mean diameter also i…