Intravenous therapy team and peripheral venous catheter-associated complications. A prospective controlled study

Abstract

A prospective controlled trial was conducted on 4 similar inpatient medical wards to test the hypothesis that a trained i.v. therapy (IVT) team would substantially reduce the incidence of peripheral i.v. catheter-related complications. Intravenous catheters (863) were followed. The overall incidence of phlebitis in the ward staff-maintained i.v. catheters was 32% as compared with 15% for those maintained by the IVT team. The incidence of 2 more serious complications (cellulitis and suppurative phlebitis) was reduced 10-fold from 2.1-0.2%. An IVT team can substantially reduce the latrogenic complications related to i.v. catheters.