This study aimed to describe the incidence and reasons for nonelective removal of epicutaneous catheters in neonates, identifying its association with the catheter insertion site. This was a prospective cohort study, conducted in a neonatal intensive care unit of a private tertiary hospital in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. We analyzed 266 epicutaneous catheter insertions. The incidence of non-elective removal was 39.1%. The most frequent post-insertion complications were suspicion of catheter-related bloodstream infection (25%) and rupture (23.1%). Most catheters were inserted through the right side of the body (65%), in upper limbs (77.1%), and using the axillary veins (31.2%). The findings did not suggest association between the incidence of non-elective removal and the insertion site of the epicutaneous catheter in neonates. Nurses should implement strategies to improve care and decrease incidence of non-elective epicutaneous catheter removals among neonates.
Infant, newborn; Catheterization central venous; Neonatal nursing