Final answer:
Pediatric umbilical catheters can utilize the umbilical vein and umbilical arteries. The umbilical vein carries oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood to the fetal heart, while the arteries transport deoxygenated blood to the placenta. After birth, the vessels collapse and the fetal shunts close, becoming fibrotic remnants.
Step-by-step explanation:
The vessels available to use with pediatric umbilical catheters are the umbilical vein and umbilical arteries. The umbilical vein is a single vessel that originates in the placenta and runs within the umbilical cord, delivering oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood to the fetal heart. On the other hand, the umbilical arteries are a pair of vessels that carry blood, low in oxygen and high in waste, from the fetus to the placenta for exchange with maternal blood.
After birth, the umbilical cord is clamped and cut, which collapses these vessels. Without medical intervention, the umbilical blood vessels would naturally occlude within 20 minutes as the Wharton's jelly within the cord swells due to the cooler external temperature and constricts the blood vessels. Eventually, these vessels become fibrotic remnants within the mature circulatory system.
During fetal development, there are also three major shunts: the foramen ovale, the ductus arteriosus, and the ductus venosus. Specifically, the ductus venosus connects the umbilical vein to the inferior vena cava. These shunts become nonfunctional after birth when the newborn begins to breathe, and the umbilical cord is severed.