Intravascular Catheter Maintenance
Intravascular catheter complications and maintenance
Intravascular catheter complications and maintenance
Approximately half of the 40 million patients that require hospitalization in the United States have to receive intravenous (IV) treatment. A total of 41.8% of those hospitalized patients received IV therapy and experience phlebitis or other complications due to the therapy (Uslusoy & Mete, 2008). With staggering numbers as these, IV care proves to be a large area of nursing responsibility and shows great relevance in the nursing practice. From a personal stand point all of the patients I have are required to have IV access to be on the telemetry floor, making it a priority for me to properly maintain integrity …show more content…
Some of the contributing factors are treatment with IV infusion and drug administration (Uslusoy & Mete, 2008). Other contributing factors they believe to cause catheter complications include the type of material that the catheter is made of, the rate at which fluids are being infused as well as medication administration. The nurses’ training on proper catheter maintenance has shown to be lacking at times contributing to complications (Uslusoy & Mete, 2008).
The study by Hasselberg, Ivarsson, Andersson and Tingstedt (2010) looked at nursing compliance. They specifically focused on the amount of time the peripheral venous catheters were left in place and the bore size they chose to use when initiating access (Hasselberg et al., 2010). The study also showed that locating the catheter in the hand or forearm resulted in fewer complications. Furthermore, they stressed the importance of proper documentation of date, time, size and location as well as who started the access (Hasselberg et al., …show more content…
Foster, Wallis, Paterson and James (2002) looked at the pediatric aspect of peripheral venous access and related complications (Foster et al., 2002). Topics that were researched included the type of catheter used, the infection control practices that were used as well as how long the catheter was left in place. This article also explored the benefits of having an Intravenous Nursing Team and the possible reduction in complication due to having them in place (Foster et al., 2002).
In summary, these three articles provide a wealth of knowledge and insight into causative factors of peripheral venous access complications. Some of the articles addressed common areas of IV care, while some took alternative routes to their research. With over half of the hospitalized patients receiving some form of intravenous therapy, this proves to be pertinent and useful information to the nursing community. In addition, it is important that the care is given in an educated and safe manner to prevent unnecessary
Intravascular catheter complications and maintenance
Approximately half of the 40 million patients that require hospitalization in the United States have to receive intravenous (IV) treatment. A total of 41.8% of those hospitalized patients received IV therapy and experience phlebitis or other complications due to the therapy (Uslusoy & Mete, 2008). With staggering numbers as these, IV care proves to be a large area of nursing responsibility and shows great relevance in the nursing practice. From a personal stand point all of the patients I have are required to have IV access to be on the telemetry floor, making it a priority for me to properly maintain integrity …show more content…
Some of the contributing factors are treatment with IV infusion and drug administration (Uslusoy & Mete, 2008). Other contributing factors they believe to cause catheter complications include the type of material that the catheter is made of, the rate at which fluids are being infused as well as medication administration. The nurses’ training on proper catheter maintenance has shown to be lacking at times contributing to complications (Uslusoy & Mete, 2008).
The study by Hasselberg, Ivarsson, Andersson and Tingstedt (2010) looked at nursing compliance. They specifically focused on the amount of time the peripheral venous catheters were left in place and the bore size they chose to use when initiating access (Hasselberg et al., 2010). The study also showed that locating the catheter in the hand or forearm resulted in fewer complications. Furthermore, they stressed the importance of proper documentation of date, time, size and location as well as who started the access (Hasselberg et al., …show more content…
Foster, Wallis, Paterson and James (2002) looked at the pediatric aspect of peripheral venous access and related complications (Foster et al., 2002). Topics that were researched included the type of catheter used, the infection control practices that were used as well as how long the catheter was left in place. This article also explored the benefits of having an Intravenous Nursing Team and the possible reduction in complication due to having them in place (Foster et al., 2002).
In summary, these three articles provide a wealth of knowledge and insight into causative factors of peripheral venous access complications. Some of the articles addressed common areas of IV care, while some took alternative routes to their research. With over half of the hospitalized patients receiving some form of intravenous therapy, this proves to be pertinent and useful information to the nursing community. In addition, it is important that the care is given in an educated and safe manner to prevent unnecessary