UAC removal timing: when should UAC typically be removed?

• A. After 7-10 days
• B. After 1 day
• C. After 1 month
• D. After 6 hours

Answer: (A)

UAC removal timing centers on balancing ongoing arterial access with minimizing catheter-related risks. In practice, many NICUs remove a umbilical arterial catheter once the infant is stable and continuous arterial monitoring or frequent sampling is no longer essential, typically around 7 to 10 days after placement. Keeping it longer raises the chance of infection, thrombosis, and arterial injury, while removing it too early would deprive the care team of needed monitoring and blood sampling. Removing after 1 day is usually premature since essential data and monitoring may still be needed; removing after 1 month is unnecessarily late and increases complications; removing after 6 hours is far too soon for most cases.